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HYDERABAD, July 25: Intermittent heavy rains, accompanied by lightning, lashed the entire interior Sindh on Friday. Two boys were killed in rain-related incidents in Hyderabad and Kotri, while many were injured in various places. Besides, at least 125 people were missing in the villages of Kharo Bajeer, Naina Sar, Pabiyo and Pandhriyo.
The thunderstorm disrupted civic life in Hyderabad and its adjoining areas. It confined the people to their homes and offices.
The rains began on Thursday night and continued intermittently. However, two spells of heavy rain in quick succession on Friday brought life to a standstill.
The downpour that whipped the city at 2pm continued for 30 minutes. All the main roads were flooded with rain and gutter water.
A large number of motorists and motorcyclists were stranded on the main roads as rain water entered their engines. People could be seen wading through ankle-deep water on main roads and streets.
Rainwater accumulated in the areas of Units No 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and in the areas of the New Cloth Market, Hyder Chowk, Rishi Ghat, Ghaushala, Liaquat Colony, Noorani Basti, Pinjra Pul, Faqir ka Pir Chowk, Gulshan-e-Hali, Al-Waheed Colony, Nusrat Colony, Sabzi Mandi, Al-Shafique Colony, Makrani Para, Abdullah Town, Sehrish Nagar, and Masroor Jatoi. The rainwater entered homes in the Railway Colony.
The Nazim, Union Council-10, Latifabad, Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi, said the situation in the areas of Larkana, Eidgah, Khwaja and Ghausia colonies was the worst as rainwater mixed with gutter water.
He said that it would not be easy to drain out the rainwater.
The residents of Union Council-10, led by their Nazim, held a protest demonstration against the civic agencies at Latifabad, Unit No12 Chowk, for not draining out the rainwater as yet. They also burnt tyres.
The rains disrupted the power supply to a large number of areas as several feeders tripped, leading to power suspension.
A boy, Rauf Mohammad, was electrocuted in the Railway Colony on Friday. He was the resident of a village near Faisalabad.
A six-year-old boy, Abdullah, son of Haji Mohammad, died when the wall of his house collapsed on him in the Otho village. Two people — Roshan and Kanwal — were injured.
People were prone to injuries as manholes were lying open everywhere.
MIRPURKHAS: The people have sustained heavy losses owing to intermittent rains, which lasted 30 hours.
This was stated by the district police officer, Tharparkar, Mehtab Shaikh, while talking to this correspondent on Friday.
He said that owing to the disastrous conditions in the area, the army has been called in for help, and added that 10 boats were arranged to take the stranded people to safer areas.
He said that at least 125 people were missing in the villages of Kharo Bajeer, Naina Sar, Pabiyo and Pandhriyo.
According to the people of Mithi, the heavy rainfall had broken the record of the last 40 years and the last time it had rained so heavily was in 1963-64 in Thar.
In Mirpurkhas, three people, including a doctor, were seriously injured when the roof of a clinic, situated at the Tonga stand, fell upon them.
Dr Nand Lal, a patient, Umar, and another man were sitting at the doctor’s clinic when its roof caved in as a result of which all three were seriously injured. They were taken to the Civil Hospital Mirpurkhas.
Owing to the heavy rainfall, the power supply and telephone lines were cut off in Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Sanghar districts.
BADIN: At least 300 villages were flooded as heavy rains lashed the district on Thursday and Friday. Many houses collapsed in several towns and villages.
The rains also caused power breakdowns in the entire district, while at least 300 telephone lines were cut off.
Gutters could be seen overflowing everywhere.
It caused breaches in the embankment of canals and tributaries. The gushing water destroyed several crops, including chilli, cotton and paddy crops.
At least 27 villages of the coastal area, including Ahmed Rajo, Golo Mandhro, Shadman, Sheikhani, Gari, Bahadur Lund and Haji Hajjan, were badly hit by heavy rainfall as a result of which many villagers have been stranded.
NAWABSHAH: Heavy rains continued in Nawabshah district on Friday.
Daulatpur, Sakrand, Qazi Ahmed, Daur, Bandhi, Bucheri, Jam Saheb and 60 Miles received heavy rainfall which was preceded by a windstorm.
The district coordination officer, Abdul Qadir Mangi, and the Taluka Nazim, Ali Akbar Jamali, visited various parts of the city, which were badly affected and issued directives for immediately draining out the rainwater and cleaning the city.
JACOBABAD: Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds lashed the entire Jacobabad district on Friday as a result of which the power supply and telephone lines were cut off.
Rainwater inundated the main streets of the city and even entered the houses.
Kandhkot, Thul, Kashmore and Garhi Khairo received heavy rainfall as a result of which standing crops were destroyed.
THATTA: Over 25 per cent newly planted paddy crop was destroyed and more than two dozen houses and offices collapsed as torrential rain hit the district on Thursday.
Building structures collapsed included taluka zakat office Mirpur Bathoro, two houses at village Rana Sattar, in Daro, Mirpur Sakro.
Several trees and electric poles were uprooted.
