Severe urban floods in Karachi after record torrential rains

 Roads inundated, power outages reported after city gets non-stop rainfaill

The port city was inundated after torrential rains were recorded overnight on Monday, which continued till 11 a.m. in most parts of the city, paralyzing daily life in Karachi.

The southern parts of Karachi, including DHA, Clifton, Kemari, Saddar and other areas, received the heaviest rainfall in the morning after the city stopped with high thunderstorms.

Most areas of DHA and Clifton were flooded, with water levels almost high in some areas.

Main II Chandragar, DHA, Clifton Underpass, Delhi Colony Road, Faisal Street and other major arteries of the city were also flooded. City Traffic Police said that Punjab Chowrangi, Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar and KPT underpasses have been closed for traffic due to accumulation of water.

Heavy rains also flooded highways outside the city. Karachi-Hyderabad highway track closed due to floods.

At least 120 mm of rain has been recorded in the southern district, with heavy rainfall reported near the coast. Port City residents also complained about prolonged power outages on social media.

Pakistan Army and Rangers personnel are engaged in relief activities after the unprecedented rains. The Armed Forces and the Civil Administration have installed at least 388 dewatering pumps to clean up the worst-affected areas.

The drains of Gujjar, Orangi and Mahmoodabad are reportedly flowing at full capacity, making it necessary to de-water the submerged areas with pumps.

City Administrator Murtaza Wahab said that some areas of Karachi received 126 mm of rain in three hours. He added that storm drains and drains were carrying water "but the process is slow".

Wahab said the administration was doing its best to "deal with the situation" and the pumping stations installed at various locations were operating at full capacity.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed all the concerned departments to expedite the work and also issued orders to install suction pumps across the city to expedite the drainage process of rain water.

Taking note of the torrential rains in the city, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that he was deeply saddened by the tragic losses in the city.

Expressing his confidence in the Sindh government, he added that he had offered all possible cooperation to the provincial government.

Karachi has seen an increase in annual rainfall over the past few years, with monsoon irregularities on the rise due to climate change.

The city, with its random infrastructure, is once again in the grip of torrential rains.