KARACHI: Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, is bracing for urban flooding, officials said on Saturday afternoon, as heavy rains are forecast to hit the southern Sindh province on Sunday.
Torrential rains, which began with the onset of the monsoon in mid-June, have already claimed the lives of more than 304 people across Pakistan. Almost half of the deaths were recorded in the country’s south and southwest.
In Karachi, the capital of Sindh and Pakistan’s financial hub, a rain emergency was announced in the second week of July after large parts of the megapolis were left under water and without power.
“Heavy rain with winds and thunderstorm is expected to start in Karachi between 11 a.m. and afternoon tomorrow, which may continue with same intensity till the Sunday night,” Sardar Sarfaraz, director of Pakistan Meteorological Department in Karachi, told Arab News.
“On Sunday, the rain will create urban flooding in case waters didn't find a way, as the Sunday rain is expected to be above 100 millimeters.”
Murtaza Wahab, a spokesperson of Sindh government and the administrator of Karachi, said measures were being taken to mitigate the effects of downpours.
“The Sindh government is taking all possible measures to tackle coming rain challenges,” he said, adding that all the relevant government agencies in the city have been mobilized to keep the situation under control.
“Every effort is being taken to ensure that the people suffer the least in the rains,” he told Arab News.
“Cleaning of storm water drains is one such important step among other to clear the chocking points.”
In July last year, Karachi experienced the worst flooding in memory, which killed at least 41 people.
Streets, homes and factories were flooded with sewage water, causing losses of billions of rupees in the city where old drainage and sewage systems regularly malfunction.
