Fresh rainfall hits Karachi, intensity likely to ease by tonight

• Flooding cripples Pakistan's financial capital
• City received over 200 mm of rainfall from Aug 19 to 20.
• Death toll rises to 17 in recent Karachi rains.
  

KARACHI: Several parts of Karachi received fresh monsoon showers on Thursday evening as the prevailing system over the north Arabian Sea continues to fuel storm activity.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), downpours were reported in several Karachi localities, including Dalmia Road, Drigh Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Gulistan-e-Johar, MA Jinnah Road, Orangi Town, Hawksbay, and Mubarak Village.

Met Office spokesperson said that a rain-bearing weather system is currently active over the city and intermittent showers are likely to continue into the evening and night.

Torrential monsoon rains left at least 17 people dead in the densely populated port city in the past two days. The deaths were caused by drowning, road accidents, and electrocution. 

The spokesperson further added that the system is expected to weaken by late tonight, and another monsoon system is likely to enter Sindh from August 27.

“Fresh spell on monsoon system expected to enter Sindh on August 27, which will bring rains to Karachi and other Sindh areas till August 30,” said the spokesperson. 

Since the season began in late June, there have been more than 700 monsoon-related deaths, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

CM blames road congestion on public

Speaking on Geo News programme “Geo Pakistan” today, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah apologised to citizens who suffered during Tuesday’s heavy rainfall. “In such heavy rain there will be urban flooding. Karachi flooded, I am saying to everyone we are apologetic, but you cannot press a button and drain all the water immediately,” he said.

CM Murad explained that when the rain intensified, he directed the Commissioner to issue guidance that people remain indoors, but the message did not fully reach the public. “Everybody went out on the street," he said.

"Yesterday also there was rain, I went out, Sharea Faisal was completely blocked. My request to people is that they should listen to the government,” he added.

He stressed that disaster management required patience and coordination, adding that draining water in five to six hours showed that work had been done effectively. “It is disaster management. You cannot avoid a disaster; you manage a disaster," he said. "If work had not been done, then how was the water drained in 5–6 hours? Work was done."

"It takes time. We have to realise you have to manage a disaster; you cannot fight nature. Our mistake was that we should not have let people go out on the road, we should have closed that road,” the CM noted.