Karachi:
A low -pressure system over the Gulf of Khambhat and adjoining Gujarat in India brought precipitation to different parts of Karachi on Tuesday and short broke the intense heat form prevailing in the city.
Shershah, Baldia, Mauripur, Hawksbay, Shaheed-E-Millat Road, Gulson-E-Iqbal, Pechs, University Road, Pidc, Bizerta lines, Kala Pul and other areas received light to moderate showers accompanied by Gusty Vind. The rainfall caused waterlogging in low -lying areas and disturbed traffic flow.
According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the system is currently located near Saurashtra, Gujarat, about 340 kilometers southeast of Karachi, and will probably move west and southwest and reach the northeastern Arabian Sea near the Kutch Bay tonight or tomorrow morning. Favorable conditions can cause it to intensify for a depression.
Under its influence, thunderstorms are expected with mild to moderate rainfall in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Thatatta, Sujawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and parts of Karachi.
The garden conditions are expected to remain rough with wind speeds of 45 to 55 kilometers per hour. Fishermen from Sindh have been asked to avoid venturing into deep waters until October 2nd.
Read: PMD easily predicts to moderate rain, thunderstorms in Karachi
PMD’s Cyclone Warning Center in Karachi is watching the situation closely.
Last month, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the city’s recent rainfall was part of the broader challenge of climate change, which has also caused destruction in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir in recent days.
By tackling a press conference, he said global warming and climate change was a reality and a test for administrations around the world with reference to the situations in New York, Dubai and Mumbai.
The mayor said the heavy rain left residents who face difficulties with criticism and political point scoring further aggravate the situation. He noted that Karachi’s storm water drain has only one capacity of 40 mm. “When rainfall exceeds this amount, consequences become clear,” he said.
Read more: Heavy rain on the cards for Karachi
While climate change undoubtedly intensifies extreme weather events, the misery facing Karachi’s citizens is facing, less from the anger of nature and more from the city’s decaying governance and poor infrastructures. In a metropolis of more than 20 million, drainage is clogged with waste, roads collapse after a few hours of rain, and underlines turn into deaths.
At least a dozen people lost their lives in the last spell with monsoon rain, mostly from electrocution and house collapses.
Unlike northern Pakistan, where recent rain triggered flash floods and landslides, Karachi’s death was largely the result of urban management errors, including exposed wires, open drains, weak housing structures and inadequate drainage systems, emphasizing the city’s vulnerability to preventable tragedy.
