KARACHI, Pakistan: Over 12 million of population of Karachi is at risk after heavy rain is disrupting the routine life in the Cosmopolitan City wherein 11 people have so far died of electrocution or else rain-generated issues.
The Met Office has warned the city authorities for over 150mm rainfall within next 10 hours. Karachi has already witnessed 130mm rainfall.
The city authorities as well as the Sindh government are reluctant to announce emergency situation in Karachi although half of the city is already inundated
According to Karachi correspondent of Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency, traffic has halted in over 40 percent of the city while Karachi Electric has suspended electricity supply to avoid electrocution accident in 50 feeders.
According to the information, water is also entering in sensitive government buildings including Radio Pakistan Karachi.
As per reports, so far 11 people has lost their lives in Karachi due to electrocution or other rain-related incidents while over 100 cars have been submerged in the city.
Likewise, the ambulance service in Karachi has been halted due to inundated roads, and private transportation has also been closed down by owners.
#KarachiRains #Karachi KDA Chowrangi to Ziauddin Hospital Highway #RainFlood #devastation #NoHelp pic.twitter.com/MmlQnwKcZq
— Raza Haroon (@mrazaharoon) August 31, 2017
A total of 245mm rainfall was reported in Karachi in 1999 when cyclone hit Karachi city.
During the last 100 years, a number of cyclonic storms have hit coastal areas of Pakistan including in 1948, 1964, 1985, 1999, 2007 and 2010.
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Phet was the powerful tropical cyclone which hit katibandwr resulting 345mm rainfall in 1010. This cyclone was called Phet cyclone.
Meanwhile, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar while talking to media confessed that drainage system of Karachi cannot handle heavy rain and problem cannot be resolved immediately
The mayor confirmed that only 9 pumps are working in drainage system to deal with over 100mm rainfall.
Waseem Akhtar claimed that the Sindh government is not responding his calls to announce emergency in the city.
Mayor Karachi said that Mahmood Abad and Gujar nullah are encroached and water is not going out of the city.
The mayor feared that situation would become dangerous in case heavy rain continues to submerge city.
In addition, he said that 60 percent solid waste is going in drainage system of Karachi but nothing has been done by the government so far to deal with this situation. He said that three to six feet water has already entered houses in many areas
Separately, reports coming from Hyderabad suggest that city is also inundated after morning rain and water level in the city is increasing.
