KARACHI: Citizens faced hours-long traffic jams on Thursday after both the Korangi Causeway and EBM Road were closed due to flooding from the overflowing Malir River, officials said.

With these key routes shut down, traffic was diverted to a single lane on Jam Sadiq Bridge, which caused clogging of roads across the city.

The Korangi Industrial Area was also hit hard by the traffic mess as traders said that the road closures disrupted industries’ operations by up to 30 per cent.

The situation turned worse as repair work on the Jam Sadiq Bridge left only one of its seven lanes open, which severely limited the flow of vehicular traffic.

DIG Traffic Karachi Pir Mohammed Shah told Dawn that rainwater from Malir River had flooded both the Causeway and EBM Road. With both roads closed and only one lane available on the Jam Sadiq Bridge, traffic blockages are inevitable, he said.

The DIG added that the district administration was working to clear the roads, but if not done by Friday, commuters should expect continued traffic chaos.

Meanwhile, Junaid Naqi, president of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, said in a statement that the recent rains in Karachi had severely disrupted industrial activity.

Whenever it rains, industrial operations come to a standstill, and exports are delayed, he added.

Mr Naqi further said that more than half of the workers couldn’t get to the factories because roads were closed, and many stayed away due to safety concerns.

The disruption also caused delays in export orders and shipping schedules, putting the country’s foreign exchange earnings at risk, he added.

He pointed out that had the projects like an alternative road and a flyover at the Korangi Causeway and Main Korangi Road been completed on time, the crisis could have been avoided.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025