HYDERABAD, Sept 9: Most areas of Sindh received heavy to moderate rains on Sunday causing flooding and aggravating the water, power and sewage problems. Five more people died in different districts of the province raising the toll over the past three days to 10.

In Hyderabad district, two students were electrocuted in Latifabad unit No. 7 when they tried to switch on a pumping machine installed by a sanitation agency to clear rain water accumulated on roads and in lanes. They were identified as Aamir Qureshi, 22, and Abdul Mateen Qureshi, 18. They were residents of Latifabad the same locality.

A woman, Jannat Khatoon, 35, died when roof of her room collapsed in Gahi Chang village, Husri.

A late night spell of downpour continued for 40 minutes.

People in large numbers took to the streets in various localities against failure of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) to control power breakdowns. They burnt old tyres and garbage to block the main thoroughfares of their areas, including Katcha Qila (Shah Faisal Colony), Makki Shah Road, Latifabad units No. 7 and 8 and American Quarters.

The work to flush out water from roads could not be carried out in many areas as 84 pumping stations of the district could not be operated due to the outages. Rainwater entered houses in Railway Colony, Liaquat Colony, Sarfaraz Colony, Pathan Colony, Dadan Shah Colony, Barrage Colony, Latifabad Unit Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 12, Qasimabad, Makki Shah Road and other localities.

Hesco said that 15 feeders in the district went out of order soon after rain, which started at 4pm on Saturday and intermittently continued till late in the night. Electricity in many localities went off at 1.30am on Sunday and could not be restored till 5pm.

Hyderabad Division Commissioner Ahmed Bux Narejo has declared rain emergency in the entire division due to monsoon rains.

He told Dawn that the district administrations concerned had been informed of the declaration.

In Mirpurkhas, rain caused damage to a residential quarter at the local civil hospital and the falling debris injured a woman, identified as Ms Aslam. Roof of another house located in Pak Colony partially collapsed injuring a man, Arshad Baloch.

Trade and business activities in the district were disrupted and major markets and shops remained closed.

Electricity in many areas continued to play hide and seek as Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Tando Jan Mohammad, Jhuddo, Naokot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Khaan, Sindhri and many other areas received more rain on Sunday.

Reports from Sanghar said that lightening struck a house in Khipro killing a man and his son. Yousuf Dars and his son, Jamal Dars, were sitting in the veranda of their home in Bakherji village of Khipro, some 57 kilometres from here, on Sunday night when lightening struck the house.

Rains in Sukkur city and its adjoining areas including Thull and Kashmore paralysed routine life and caused closure of all markets and shops.

A heavy spell of rain started lashing the areas on Sunday night and continued for an hour inundating roads and streets. It was continuing in Thull and Kashmore when last report came in late in the night.

Reports said that standing crops and farmlands in Sukkur district had suffered considerable losses.

In Badin, heavy rain caused great hardship to the residents of low lying areas as a large number of huts in katchi abadis submerged in rainwater. Rain started at 4.30pm and was continuing till filing of this report late Sunday.

Standing crops of cotton, rice and sugarcane on over 100 acres also submerged when a 30-ft wide breach developed in 1-R Tando Bago sub-drain of Kadhan subdivision. Villagers along with the irrigation staff plugged breach.

In Jacobabad, intermittent rains over the past three days caused flooding of thoroughfares, collapse of the city’s drainage system and disruption in power supply. However, no major incident was reported on Sunday.

All four talukas of the Umerkot district — Umerkot, Samaro, Kunri and Pithoro — received intermittent rain on Sunday raising the water level in the major canal but inundating the cotton and chillies crops. While up to three feet high water accumulated in the agricultural fields, knee-deep water in the low-lying areas paralysed the routine life.