KARACHI: A rain emergency was declared in the metropolis on Friday following the forecast of ‘urban flooding” due to heavy rain and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation set up 36 emergency centres across the city.

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui, who also holds the additional responsibility of the KMC administrator, declared the rain emergency across Karachi division.

The Met Office forecast that “heavy rain may generate urban flooding in the next 36 hours”.

A KMC statement issued on Friday said that various KMC departments — metropolitan commissioner’s secretariat, technical services department, parks and horticulture department, municipal services department, medical and health services department, local taxes (advertisements) department and vehicles department — would continue work round the clock to carry out required functions and to avoid loss of lives in case of rain-related emergencies.

The KMC’s rain emergency centres were established in 36 schools located in different parts of the metropolis.

The centres are located in Orangi Town, Keamari, Lyari, Korangi, Malir, Saddar, Jamshed, Gulberg, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, and Bin Qasim zones of the city.

Following the Thursday downpour, KMC started draining out accumulated rainwater in different areas of the city and cleared all major thoroughfares within a few hours.

However, rainwater remained accumulated on Sharea Faisal near Falak Naz Apartment and the FTC building because of the chocked storm-water drains. The situation was improved following the removal of filth in the Golden nullah.

As the rains started the KMC staffers equipped with heavy machinery, pumps, etc, reached the spots to clear the obstacles that hindered the drainage of rainwater into the storm-water drains.

The statement claimed that the staffers also cleared major storm-water drains, including Kalri nullah, Gujjar nullah, Pitcher nullah, Nehr-i-Khayam, Soldier Bazaar nullah and Golden nullah, with the help of heavy machinery.

Pumps were also installed at seven different locations in the city for immediate drainage of rainwater, added the statement.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2015

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