Karachi:
A low pressure system on the Gulf of Khambhat and Gujarat contiguous in India brought rain to different parts of Karachi on Tuesday, briefly breaking the intense heat spell that prevails in the city.
SHERSHAH, Baldia, Mauripur, Hawksbay, Shaheed-E-Millat Road, Gulshan-E-Iqbal, Pechs, University Road, PIDC, Bizerte Lines, Kala Pul and other areas received light to moderate showers accompanied by racial winds. The downpour caused flooding in low areas, altering the traffic flow.
According to the Department of Meteorology of Pakistan (PMD), the system is currently near Saurashtra, Gujarat, about 340 kilometers southeast of Karachi, and it is likely to move west and southwest, reaching the sea of Northeast of Arabia near the Gulf of Kutch tonight or tomorrow morning. Favorable conditions can make intensify in depression.
Under its influence, thunderstorms with light to moderate rain in Tharparkar, Uumerkot, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and parts of Karachi are expected.
It is forecast that sea conditions remain rough, with wind speeds of 45 to 55 kilometers per hour. Sindh fishermen have been advised to avoid venturing deep waters until October 2.
Read: PMD forecasts a brain to moderate light, thunderstorms in karachi
The PMD cyclone warning center in Karachi is closely monitoring the situation.
Last month, the mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, said that the recent downpour of the city was part of the widest challenge of climate change, which has also caused destruction in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir in recent days.
When addressing a press conference, he said that global warming and climate change were a reality and a test for administrations around the world, citing situations in New York, Dubai and Mumbai.
The mayor said that heavy rains left residents facing difficulties, with political criticism and annotations that exacerbate the situation further. He pointed out that Karachi rainwater drains have a capacity of only 40 mm. “When the rain exceeds this amount, the consequences become evident,” he said.
Read more: Heavy rains in Karachi cards
While climate change undoubtedly intensifies extreme weather events, the misery faced by the citizens of Karachi comes less than the anger of nature and more of the deficient governance and infrastructure of the city. In a metropolis of more than 20 million, the drains remain obstructed with garbage, the roads collapse after a few hours of rain and the underground steps become death traps.
At least a dozen people lost their lives in the last spell of monsoon, most electrocution and collapses of the house.
Unlike northern Pakistan, where recent rains triggered sudden floods and landslides, Karachi’s deaths were largely the result of urban management failures, including exposed wires, open drains, weak housing structures and inadequate drainage systems, which underline the vulnerability of the city to prevenible tasks.
