KARACHI, Aug 9: Advancing further into southern Balochistan over the Arabian Sea, a strong rain-bearing monsoon weather system hit Karachi on Thursday, cooling down the metropolis considerably after last week’s hot and humid weather conditions.

The showers also disrupted power supply in most parts of the city, and motorists and pedestrians faced problems as roads were inundated and fewer public vehicles could be found on the roads.

The maximum temperature came down to 31 degrees centigrade, providing the much-needed relief to people from the sizzling heat as the city had received about 58mm of rainfall till 11pm.

The Met Office said the clouds laden with rain would keep hovering over the city and other parts of Sindh during the next 36 hours, causing moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers as the weather system was moving westward in southern Balochistan over the sea.

Local chief weatherman Naeem Shah told Dawn that the monsoon depression was likely to die down on the western edge of the Arabian Sea by Saturday evening.

“Under its influence, widespread rains are likely in Sindh, especially in its southern parts, and the coastal areas, including Karachi, during the next 36 hours,” he said and added that the possibility of the weather system’s movement along the Balochistan coast had almost diminished. However, he said, scattered rains with the possibility of isolated a heavy rainfall might occur in southern Balochistan during the next 48 hours.

Thursday’s showers inundated portions of all major arteries, including Sharea Faisal, I. I. Chundrigar Road, M. A. Jinnah Road, Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Chaudhry Khaliquz Zaman Road, Jahangir Road, Jamshed Road, Shahrah-i-Pakistan, University Road and Rashid Minhas Road.

Several vehicles broke down on the roads inundated by the rainwater and the ensuing traffic jams

In many localities people were seen toddling on the bricks and stones placed on the submerged streets and lanes to keep them away from the filth. “Where are the civic agencies who had made tall claims that they had taken ‘effective measures to meet any eventuality’ during the monsoon?” said an angry resident of Hijrat Colony while wading through a pond formed by rainwater.

Commercial centres and major markets presented a chaotic scene as the rainwater damaged goods in the shops while in the low-lying localities people began draining out rainwater from their houses and shops.

Government buildings, schools and colleges, were in a mess with no sanitary staff in sight to clear the standing water.

Attendance in government and private sector offices remained thin as the sky was already overcast in the morning.

Similarly, schools, which reopened after summer vacation, wore a deserted look as the parents preferred to keep their children indoors.

Meanwhile, a large number of picnickers thronged the recreational places and city beaches to enjoy the wet weather. “With the first drop of rain, the power supply was disrupted in our locality and I decided to take my family to the beach for a picnic,” said Khalid Farooqui, a resident of North Karachi.