• Boy dies from electrocution in SITE, another drowns in flash flood
• Rain fails to break hot, humid spell • Many areas remain without electricity after rain
• Met Office says sea breeze to resume tomorrow

KARACHI: Two minor boys died in different incidents as many areas of the metropolis received moderate to heavy showers on Saturday.

The rain, however, failed to break the hot spell that city has been facing for the past many days as the Met Office forecast hot and humid weather for Sunday (today) with chances of isolated thunderstorms/light rain with maximum temperature likely to range between 36-38 degrees Celsius.

Saturday’s rain also exposed the performance of the K-Electric as power supply was disrupted in many areas as soon as the downpour started and took many hours to restore.

Mayor Murtaza Wahab paid a visit to different parts of the metropolis and inspected the work to drain out rainwater accumulated on city arteries.

Highest rainfall in Nazimabad

According to the Met department’s data, the maximum rain was recorded in Nazimabad 37.2mm, Keamari 29.5mm, PAF Masroor Base (Mauripur) 26mm and Korangi 22mm.

Other areas including Quaidabad received 12mm, PAF Faisal Base 7mm, DHA Phase II 6.5mm, Orangi town 4.5mm, Jinnah Terminal 3.2mm, Ibrahim Hyderi 3mm, Met Complex 2.4mm, old airport area 1.7mm and Gulshan-i-Hadeed 1mm.

‘Trace’ was recorded in Gulshan-i-Maymar, Hassan Square and Saadi town. No rain was recorded in Gadap, North Karachi, Sohrab goth, Malir Halt and Saddar.

Boy drowns in flash flood from Kati Pahari

An eight-year-old boy was swept away and drowned in a flash flood from Kati Pahari on Saturday evening.

Rescue-1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn that a boy identified as Saleem drowned in raging torrents coming down from Kati Pahari near North Nazimabad.

The official said that the boy was a resident of the hilly area of Kati Pahari.

The houses built there are without any proper planning and residents have developed open drainage systems in the locality, the official added.

Some children were swimming in the fast moving water when one of them drowned. The current took him to the drain near the Ship-Owners College from where his body was further swept away.

Later, the body was recovered from Gujjar Nullah in Liaquatabad by divers after hectic efforts lasting for six hours. The body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.

Meanwhile, SITE SHO Farooq Sanjrani said that an 11-year-old boy, identified as Haroon Jahanzeb, suffered an electric shock and died in the Metroville area.

Feels-like temperature reaches 52°C

The maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 39.1°C with 50 per cent relative humidity, raising the feels-like temperature to 52°C.

“It’s the low atmospheric pressure area still persisting over Indian Gujarat and the Arabian Sea inducing hot and humid weather and rainfall,” explained Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz.

It’s quite normal in the monsoon season to have significant variation in the amount of precipitation within a distance of five to 10km, he added.

According to him, the same weather pattern is expected on Sunday. “However, the partially cloudy weather with sea breeze, the hallmark of the July month in Karachi, is likely to return from Monday,” he said.

Meanwhile, the KE claimed in a statement that it ensured uninterrupted power supply to the city during the scattered spell of moderate to heavy showers.

Power supply was temporarily suspended in a limited number of areas as a precautionary measure, it said and added that restoration efforts began as rain subsided and electricity was restored to majority areas upon receiving clearance from ground teams.

A KE spokesperson clarified that initial investigation confirmed the KE infrastructure was not involved in the case of boys’ electrocution in Metroville.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2024