The meteorological chief has said tremors will continue to be felt in Karachi for the next two to three days and the situation will improve as the intensity of the quakes will reduce, adding that residents of the city should not panic.

Parts of Karachi experienced three more tremors on Tuesday morning, as the city has been shaken by 19 mild earthquakes over the past three days, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) officials said.

The tremors, all classified as low to moderate in intensity, ranged from 2.1 magnitude to 3.6 on the Richter scale. The strongest tremor, measuring 3.6, was recorded on Sunday, while the weakest was of 2.1 magnitude.

PMD Director General Mahr Sahibzad Khan, while speaking during Dawn News TV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’, said Karachi will face low-intensity quakes for the next couple of days.

The Met chief claimed earthquakes are occurring in Karachi due to lack of ground water and illegal pumping by the so-called ‘tanker mafia’.

“Karachi has small fault lines in areas of Korangi and Malir that are causing minor earthquakes,” he said, adding that tremors were being felt in the areas close to the fault line.

“The main problem in Karachi is that there is no ground water. If you remove the hard rocks, there is only sand,” he added. “There is a strong tanker mafia in Karachi. They take out water through pumping or other illegal means.”

He said the pumping of ground water is being done over the fault line which causes “induced earthquakes.”

He observed that the intensity of the quakes in Karachi has reduced over the past few days. He said the first quake measured 3.6 on Richter Scale but the one that struck today (June 3) recorded a magnitude of 2.6.

When asked about the collapse of the wall in Malir prison that led to a massive jailbreak, he said the prison’s wall collapsed because it was located close to the epicentre.

“It (Malir jail) was located near the epicentre. The intensity is greater in the areas near the epicentre,” he elaborated.

When asked if the tremors will continue in the upcoming days, the Met chief said the aftershocks will remain for the next few days until the seismic activity settles.

“The tremors will continue but not with high intensity. The fault line is not very active. They will end after two to three days,” he added.

When asked if the residents of the city should panic, he said there is “nothing to worry about for people of Karachi.”