Pakistan ordered the closure of businesses, schools, and public offices in Karachi on Wednesday after torrential monsoon rains killed at least 10 people in the densely populated port city, with forecasts predicting further heavy rainfall.
The monsoon has brought havoc across Pakistan in recent days, with the death toll from flash floods that hit the mountainous northwest on Friday rising to 385. Authorities said an unspecified number of people remained missing.
The rains began in Karachi on Tuesday, causing widespread flooding as rainfall reached levels not seen in years in some parts of the southern city, which is Pakistan’s financial capital and biggest city – home to more than 20 million people.
The deaths were caused by drowning, road accidents, building collapse and electrocution, said Abdul Wahid Halepoto, a provincial government spokesperson.
City Services Disrupted
The rain disrupted power, mobile phone services and flights, officials said. Television footage showed cars and other vehicles floating down streets and houses submerged in water.
“I have never experienced rain like this in my life,” said Anosha, 30, a creative designer, who did not want to give her full name. “Our car got stuck in the flooded road, water seeped in, and I panicked.”
Anjum Nazir, a spokesperson for the provincial meteorological department, said the area around the airport received 163.5 mm (6.4 inches) of rain, the highest recorded there since 1979.
Some 178 mm of rain was recorded in the northeast of Karachi, the highest since the weather station there was set up five years ago.
“We are expecting more intense rains,” Nazir said.
Since the season began in late June, there have been more than 750 monsoon-related deaths, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Power Supplies Disrupted
The sudden downpour caused disruption to Karachi’s electricity supply, said a spokesperson for K-Electric, which distributes power to the city.
Efforts to restore supplies were hampered by waterlogging and traffic congestion, which made access difficult, but electricity was back to most users, he said.
Rescue workers, police, volunteers and government agencies were helping relief efforts, the city’s Mayor Murtaza Wahab told a press conference.
“We are using all our resources to clear roads and restore utilities,” he said.
Wahab said the rain had overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure. The city’s drainage system has the capacity to manage 40 mm of rain, and anything above that would spill over into flooding, he said.
Massive Rains In Mumbai
There have also been heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, with some parts of the city drenched with as much as 875.1 mm of rain in the five days to August 20, the local weather department said.
Many schools in the city were closed for a second straight day on Wednesday, while train services were disrupted.
Authorities in both countries requested residents avoid venturing out as more rain was expected.
(With inputs from Reuters)
