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KARACHI, July 28: Heavy rain on Monday submerged almost all thoroughfares in the city, flooded many low-lying localities, dislocated traffic, and disrupted power and telecommunication networks.
The Malir and Lyari rivers were in full spate, and the city government fears that in case of more rains water from both the rivers could start spilling over and pose a danger to the lives of those living on their banks.
On the directives of City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, work on the shifting of all those living on the banks of the Lyari river to schools belonging to Gulshan, Liaquatabad and Gulberg Towns has already begun.
About 250 stranded inhabitants of Gulzar-i-Hijri’s Sikandar Goth were provided shelter in a school nearby.
According to some reports, water from the Malir river started to move towards Azimpura in Shah Faisal Colony when a portion of the river’s embankment developed a crack.
Flooding of roads with rainwater exposed the claims of the Karachi Building Control Authority about its cleaning campaign of the storm water drains of the city.
Residents of low-lying localities in the city were most inconvenienced by the rain. The senior vice-president of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Salim Zia, told Dawn that rainwater had worked its way into houses in Punjab Colony, Bhittai Colony, Korangi industrial area’s Bilal Colony, P&T Colony, Delhi Colony, Cantonment Railway Colony, Hazara Colony, Defence Phase-1, 2 and 5 (Extension) and parts of Defence Phase- 4, Bizerrta Lane, Dolikhata.
Since rainwater remained standing on city roads because of choked storm water drains, many commuters set down by buses in the middle of roads had no choice but to walk through filthy water. A few of them got injured when they fell into open manholes.
Submerged by rainwater, potholed roads of the city became a nuisance. Public transport went off the roads, leaving commuters with little option but to travel on jampacked buses, minibuses and coaches. Perched precariously on rooftops, many passengers preferred to risk their lives rather than wade through waist-high water.
With the Qayoomabad roundabout, Korangi Road and Expressway (from Baloch Colony to the Qayoomabad roundabout) submerged by rainwater, motorists were forced to take an alternative route. As a result, traffic to and from Korangi moved at a slow pace.
The major traffic intersections which looked like swimming pools after the rain were the ones on Aiwan-i-Sadar Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Elander Road, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, M.R. Keyani Road, Burnes Road, Sharea Quaideen, Sharea Faisal, Hasan Square, Rashid Minhas Road, Clifton’s Schon circle, Teen Talwar.
NAZIM: The city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, stayed at his office in Civic Centre late into the night to monitor the relief operation.
The Nazim directed the town Nazims and town municipal officers to immediately shift all those people living on the banks of the Lyari and Malir rivers to schools of their towns.
Since most of the localities situated near the Lyari river banks fall under the jurisdiction of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Liaquatabad and Gulberg Towns, the city Nazim asked the Nazims of these towns to ensure that all those living in the vicinity of the Lyari river are shifted to safer places before water from the river starts overflowing.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the city government requested the public to report emergencies on a helpline telephone number, 134.
