The death toll from rain-related incidents in Karachi rose to seven on Wednesday, while over 300 people were relocated to safety after heavy monsoon showers swelled the Malir and Lyari rivers.
Lyari and Malir rivers serve as Karachi’s main storm drains, channelling[1] rainwater through a network of nullahs into the Arabian Sea. Once natural seasonal streams, they are now heavily constricted by urban sprawl, encroachments, and solid waste, turning many drains into open sewers. This blockage reduces their capacity[2] to carry stormwater, causing frequent urban flooding during monsoon downpours.
Four more people died in rain-related incidents in the metropolis today, raising the death toll since yesterday[3] to seven, while three were missing, according to rescue services.
Edhi rescuers recovered the bodies of two men and a woman after a van carrying four people fell into the rain-filled Konkar Nadi in Gadap Town, a statement issued by the Edhi Foundation said. The deceased were identified as 60-year-old Nabu Gulab, 45-year-old Raja Gulab and 45-year-old Javed Shah.
The rescue operation to find the other missing people was underway, the spokesperson added.
Separately, police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the body of an 18-year-old man, identified as Ahmed Qadir, was brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital from North Nazimabad’s Block-C after he “died of an electric shock”.
A man was saved alive and the search for another was underway after the two went missing in the Malir river, a statement issued by Rescue 1122 said.
The man rescued was identified as Mustafa Ali Gul, while Farhan Akram remained missing. Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad and the Malir deputy commissioner were present on the site, Rescue 1122 added.
Two others were rescued alive after they were trapped in the Lyari river, Rescue 1122 said in a statement[4], shared by the Sindh Information Department.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah refuted rumours of the Shahrah-i-Bhutto, Expressway (Malir Expressway) caving in or being breached to divert waters.
Asked about a video[5] being shared on social media during a media talk in Karachi, CM Shah explained: “Malir Expressway is under construction at that place. A bund is being built properly on the river, so when water from the river comes and it (the bund) is incomplete, then the water will pass through some location or another.
“That is it. There is no issue,” he added, advising people to “use their energy” for a better cause.
The CM’s spokesperson, Abdul Rasheed Channa, also issued a statement refuting reports of Shahrah-i-Bhutto caving in, saying: “It is not [a] real picture.”
A further statement from the chief minister’s spokesperson said there was “no truth” to the news of a part of the highway being washed away.
“The unpaved part of Shahrah-i-Bhutto has sunk down in the rainwater and work is still ongoing. This is the part of Shahrah-i-Bhutto that has collapsed and neither a retaining wall has been built nor stone pitching has been done. This is part of the Malir section, which is under construction and is not yet open to traffic,” the statement said.
It added that sections of the road that were open for traffic were still being used by the public.
In the 24-hour period till 2pm, Karachi received the highest amount of rainfall in Defence Housing Authority’s Phase 7 (31.5 millimetres), according to data issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
PAF Masoor Base recorded 18mm, Gulshan-i-Maymar 16mm, Korangi 15.4mm, Keamari 15mm, Surjani Town 13mm, and North Karachi 12mm, while the areas to receive the lowest rainfall were Bahria Town (2mm) and Jinnah Terminal (4mm).
According to PMD’s data, Karachi received nearly 144mm of rain since September 8, with Surjani Town witnessing the maximum rainfall. Gulshan-i-Maymar, Gulshan-i-Hadeed and Korangi recorded showers ranging between 90-110mm.
Water enters Saadi Town; 318 relocated from near Malir river
Separately, CM Shah visited various locations across Karachi — including the Lyari river, Jinnah Avenue, Saadi Town and Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway — to review water drainage following the rains.
Footage from DawnNewsTV showed that the road linking Superhighway to Thado Dam was inundated, with water gushing into a stream and people gathered near the spot.
The Sindh CM, accompanied by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, visited the flooded Saadi Town through the Malir Cantonment route, the provincial Information Department said on X.
“The water entered Saadi Town due to overflow of the Lath and Thado Dams,” the chief minister was informed. He met with the local residents and directed authorities to carry out speedy water drainage.
During his visit to Jinnah Avenue, CM Shah “inspected the drainage of water from the dams via Mehran Nala and reviewed the machinery deployed for dewatering”, the Information Department said.
In a statement detailing his visit to the Lyari river, the chief minister was quoted as saying that the flow of water in the Lyari river was “high, but the flows are running smoothly”.
He explained that the river began from the mountains of Manghopir and Gadap, gathering rainwater from those areas. “The Lyari river passes through Orangi Town, SITE area, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Gulbahar, Lyari Town, Kharadar, Meethadar and West Wharf, and then reaches the port.”
CM Shah, Ghani and Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also visited the Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway[6], which is expected to be completed by the year’s end[7], and the Qayyumabad Chowk[8] near Korangi Causeway.
Separately, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, in a post on X earlier today, said that so far, 318 people have been “rescued [and] moved to safe [places] from around the [areas] close to Lyari Naddi and teams are still present on ground”.
“All major arteries of the city as well as underpasses are clear and open for traffic,” he asserted.
In Saadi Town, joint efforts by Rescue 1122 and the Pakistan Army resulted in the rescue of 10 people, Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan said in a statement.
“Near Saima Society, two men, three women and six children were safely moved,” Khan told Dawn.com. “Eight people were trapped in Nashr Basti and Isa Nagri due to waterlogging,” he added.
Schools to remain closed today
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has ordered the closure of all educational institutions across the Karachi Division following heavy monsoon rains and a forecast of further showers.
“All the educational institutions (public/private) will remain closed within the territorial jurisdiction of Karachi Division,” said a notification by the Karachi commissioner, dated September 9.
The PMD said[9] that a deep depression, which had been causing rains in Karachi and other parts of Sindh, would gradually move towards Balochistan and turn into a well-marked low-pressure area.
Yesterday, the PMD forecasted “intermittent rain/wind-thunderstorm” today with maximum temperatures ranging from 27 to 29 degrees Celsius.
It added that the minimum temperatures were expected to range between 25-27°C, with 80 to 95 per cent humidity during the day.
Several hundred straw-mud houses in the rural areas of Tharparkar and Dadu districts were swept away as the two districts had been receiving intermittent heavy, moderate and light spells of monsoon rains for the last six and four days, respectively.
More to follow
References
- ^ channelling (www.dawn.com)
- ^ capacity (www.dawn.com)
- ^ yesterday (www.dawn.com)
- ^ statement (x.com)
- ^ video (x.com)
- ^ Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway (x.com)
- ^ year’s end (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Qayyumabad Chowk (x.com)
- ^ said (www.dawn.com)