KARACHI:
A low-pressure system over the Gulf of Khambhat and adjoining Gujarat in India brought rainfall to different parts of Karachi on Tuesday, briefly breaking the intense heat spell prevailing in the city.
Shershah, Baldia, Mauripur, Hawksbay, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, PECHS, University Road, PIDC, Bizerta Lines, Kala Pul and other areas received light to moderate showers accompanied by gusty winds. The downpour caused waterlogging in low-lying areas, disrupting traffic flow.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the system is currently located near Saurashtra, Gujarat, about 340 kilometers southeast of Karachi, and is likely to move west and southwest, reaching the northeast Arabian Sea near the Gulf of Kutch by tonight or tomorrow morning. Favorable conditions may cause it to intensify into a depression.
Under its influence, thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall are expected in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and parts of Karachi.
Sea conditions are forecast to remain rough, with wind speeds of 45 to 55 kilometers per hour. Fishermen from Sindh have been advised to avoid venturing into deep waters until October 2.
Read: PMD forecasts light to moderate rain, thunderstorms in Karachi
The PMD’s Cyclone Warning Centre in Karachi is monitoring the situation closely.
Last month, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the city’s recent downpour was part of the wider challenge of climate change, which has also caused destruction in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir in recent days.
Addressing a press conference, he said global warming and climate change were a reality and a test for administrations worldwide, citing the situations in New York, Dubai and Mumbai.
The mayor said the heavy rains left residents facing difficulties, with criticism and political point-scoring further exacerbating the situation. He noted that Karachi’s stormwater drains have a capacity of only 40mm. “When rainfall exceeds this amount, consequences become evident,” he said.
Read More: Heavy rainfall on the cards for Karachi
While climate change is undoubtedly intensifying extreme weather events, the misery faced by Karachi’s citizens stems less from nature’s wrath and more from the city’s decayed governance and poor infrastructure. In a metropolis of over 20 million, drains remain clogged with garbage, roads collapse after a few hours of rain, and underpasses turn into death traps.
At least a dozen people lost their lives in the last spell of monsoon rains, most from electrocution and house collapses.
Unlike northern Pakistan, where recent rains triggered flash floods and landslides, Karachi’s fatalities were largely the result of urban management failures including exposed wires, open drains, weak housing structures and inadequate drainage systems, underscoring the city’s vulnerability to preventable tragedies.