CM Sindh assigns responsibilities to ministers as Karachi braces for torrential rains

• Karachi, other cities of Sindh to likely to receive widespread rain-wind-thunderstorms in the next couple of days. 
• Minister of Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla tasked to monitor situation in Karachi's District South. 
• Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani has been asked to monitor rain situation in District East. 

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has assigned various districts of the city to his provincial ministers, tasking each to take responsibility for their area as cyclone Gulab threatens to trigger torrential rains in the city. 

Read more: Cyclone 'Gulab' to regain intensity, cause widespread heavy rains along Sindh-Makran coast

The chief minister's spokesperson said Minister of Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla has been tasked to monitor the situation in Karachi's District South while Minister of Labour, Information and Human Resources Saeed Ghani will do the same for Karachi's District East. 

Special Assistant to the CM on Inter-Provincial Coordination Taimur Talpur has been assigned to monitor the rain situation in Korangi, Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza will do the same for Karachi's District Central while Minister for Zakat and Ushr Sajid Jokhio for District Malir. 

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Political Affairs Waqar Mehdi and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Katchi Abadi/Human Settlements Liaquat Askani has been assigned to monitor the rain situation in Karachi District West and Kaemari, respectively. 

Cyclone Gulab to regain intensity

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had issued a weather advisory on Tuesday stating that a low-pressure area, which it described as a "remnant of the cyclonic storm Gulab", is likely to re-emerge over the Northeast Arabian Sea on Wednesday and cause widespread heavy rains along the Sindh-Makran Coast.

According to the PMD, the low-pressure area, currently lying over central India, is likely to track in the northwest direction (towards Indian Gujarat).

The PMD had warned of widespread rain-wind-thunderstorms with scattered heavy/very heavy falls, and extremely heavy at times, likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thaparker, Umerkot and Sanghar.

The PMD had also said that Shaheed Benazirabad, Nosheroferoz, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Ghotki districts of Sindh would also receive heavy rain with thunderstorms from September 28 to October 2.

Widespread rain-wind-thunderstorms with scattered heavy/very heavy falls, and extremely heavy at times, are also likely in Bela, Awaran, Kech, Makran and Panjgur districts of Balochistan between Thursday, September 30 and Sunday, October 3.

In this period, sea conditions would remain rough/very rough with occasional high surge in tides.