Met department warns rains this week may flood Pakistan’s financial hub of Karachi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department on Monday issued a flood warning for Karachi and Hyderabad during a spell of downpours expected from Thursday to Saturday this week.
Rains last month battered Pakistan’s port city and financial hub of Karachi, killing ten and turning even the poshest areas into rivers of trash and leading Prime Minister Imran Khan to call in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the army to clean up the city in the aftermath of the downpours.
The Met department said a low pressure system from the Bay of Bengal would approach Sindh province on Thursday, causing “strong monsoon currents ... to penetrate Sindh, south Punjab and eastern Balochistan from Thursday (evening/night) to Saturday.”
“Heavy downpour may generate urban flooding in Karachi and Hyderabad and flash flooding in hill torrents of Khuzdar on Friday/Saturday,” the statement said. “All concerned authorities are advised to remain alert during the period.”
The department added that widespread rain and thundershowers were also expected in the cities of Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jamshoro, Dadu and Shaheed Benazirabad during this period.
Scattered rain and thundershowers would hit Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Kambarshahdad Kot, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Ghotki, Jaffarabad, Jhalmagsi, Khuzdar, Lasbela and Awaran on Friday and Saturday, the statement said.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited many areas of Karachi on Monday to review work on the cleaning the the city’s storm-water drains and animal waste after the Eid Al-Adha festival.
On Sunday, NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal had said work on cleaning major storm-water drains in Karachi would begin from Monday.

Met department warns rains this week may flood Pakistan’s financial hub of Karachi