KARACHI: Another tremor was felt in the metropolis on Wednesday, bringing the total number of low-intensity earthquakes to 20 over the past three days.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said that the magnitude of the most recent earthquake was 3.0 on the Richter scale and it originated at a depth of 31 kilometres beneath the surface, with its epicentre located around 28 kilometres southeast of Defence Housing Authority.

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 said Karachi will face low-intensity quakes for the next couple of days, Dawn.com reported.

People have nothing to worry about, says PMD chief

“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.

‘Lack of groundwater causing tremors’

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

“The main problem in Karachi is that there is no groundwater. 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 groundwater is being done over the fault line which causes “induced earthquakes.”

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”.

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 said.

The Met officials said 11 of the earthquakes were recorded in Malir district, while others were felt in the southwestern part of Korangi and the northeastern areas of DHA.

They said that the Early Tsunami Warning Cell continued to monitor seismic activity in the region and was working closely with disaster management authorities to ensure preparedness.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2025