Karachi again left at mercy of monsoon as drain-cleaning moves at snail’s pace

According to details, the city administration is unable to clean major drains spanning across city, despite meteorological department predicting first spell of monsoon rains in the last week of June.

Even in some areas of metropolis where the efforts to unclog drains are underway, the work is progressing at a snail’s pace.

As per media reports, there are more than 500 rain drains in the city out of which most are either clogged or encroached upon and need to be cleared immediately before heavy rains lash the city.

The city administration is unable to properly clean Gujjar Nullah despite operation against encroachments. Same is the situation of rain drains situated in Mehmoodabad, Korangi and Karachi West District, where there is a fear of urban flooding in case of heavy rain.

On the other hand, pre-monsoon has entered Karachi with Met Office forecasting dust storm and light showers in the city on Friday.

“The moist currents from the North Arabian Sea penetrating Sindh with effect from 16th June 2021. Under its influence, the first rainy spell expected in most of the Sindh districts”, said the weather office.

Following the prediction by Met Office, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed relevant authorities to complete all necessary arrangements and take precautionary measures as heavy rainfall is expected in major cities of Sindh including Karachi and Hyderabad.

Low lying areas in Badin, Thatta, Thar, Umarkot, Dadu, Larkana and Sukkur districts may face inundation at times due to occasional heavy showers.