Karachi wakes up to heavy showers after days of sweltering heat

• Surjani Town, Malir receive early morning showers.
• Heavy rains also lash Sharea Faisal, II Chundrigar Road.
• PMD has forecast downpour in Karachi till August 23.

KARACHI: Heavy rain was reported in different parts of Karachi, including the Model Colony area in Malir, on Tuesday morning, while several other parts of the metropolis experienced scattered showers.

Sharea Faisal, Shah Faisal Colony, the airport, and nearby residential areas also received showers.

Light showers were recorded in Malir Halt, Rafah-e-Aam, and the surrounding areas. There were also reports of rainfall in Surjani Town and Korangi.

The change in weather came as a breath of fresh air for residents after a spell of hot and humid conditions over the last two days.

"With just a little amount of rain, the road outside my house has been inundated and I can't commute to my office," said a resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar area as various roads across the city became inundated after morning downpour.

The latest showers come in the backdrop of Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) forecast of isolated showers in Karachi till August 23.

With strong monsoon entering Sindh, PMD noted, rain thunderstorm/rain with few moderate to isolated heavy falls is expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Tharparkar, and surrounding areas.

In light of the Met Office's prediction, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired an emergency meeting a day earlier to oversee preparations for the monsoon rains expected to impact Karachi and other parts of the province, The News reported on Tuesday.

The CM put the local governments, administration and traffic police on high alert, and directed them to strengthen coordination to ensure convenience for the people in case of heavy rains.

The CM said he wanted to ensure that Karachi’s infrastructure was ready to handle the anticipated downpour. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab briefed the CM on ongoing efforts to improve drainage systems at 44 critical drain choking points across Karachi, with approximately 150 drains under the control of towns undergoing de-silting to facilitate the smooth flow of rainwater. 

The CM directed the local government minister and mayor to take all necessary steps to minimise disruption during the rains and ensure the safety of citizens.

Karachi is not the only part of the country witnessing monsoon showers as heavy rains have wreaked havoc across Pakistan's northern areas in recent days.

So far, the death tally in rain-related incidents has climbed to 660 with reports of casualties and widespread destruction pouring in from all provinces and regions.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported the highest casualties, with 392 people losing their lives in various incidents.

KP is followed by Punjab with 164 fatalities, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) with 32, Sindh with 29, Balochistan with 20, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with 15, and Islamabad with eight.

Among the victims, 394 were men, 95 women, and 171 children. The total number of injured has reached 935, most of them in Punjab (582), while 245 were reported in KP, 40 in Sindh, 37 in GB, 24 in AJK, four in Balochistan, and three in Islamabad.