Sukkur mayor, chief meteorologist bicker over 'record rain'

Expressing disappointment with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Sindh government spokesperson and Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh has doubled down on his claim that Sukkur received record-breaking rain on Sunday. 

The Sukkur mayor said this in a video statement issued on Monday after Sardar Sarfaraz, the chief meteorologist at the PMD, rejected his claim regarding the record-breaking rainfall on Sunday in the city.

The mayor had claimed that Sukkur received 290mm rain in a single day which broke the "77-year record" of the city.

The PMD's chief meteorologist, however, termed the claim "wrong" and told Geo News that "116mm of rain was recorded in Sukkur in 48 hours. Rohri near Sukkur recorded 134mm rainfall."

"I ask the meteorological department whether they have such a system in Sukkur that can accurately measure the rainfall in the city?" Sheikh said today in response to the chief meteorologist.

He said that the PMD's data is unfortunately based on observation, no authentic system is installed in the city.

"If the PMD has any rain gauge system installed in the city, please share it with us," he added.

Sharing the PMD's weather forecast for Sukkur in the month of July, the Sindh government spox said that the department's forecast did not come true even for a single day.

He also shared the PMD's rain forecast for August, according to which the city was predicted to receive 53.5 mm. However, the rain situation in the current month is visible to everybody, he noted.

Sheikh said that here are five taluqas in district Sukkur and the provincial government had installed a rain gauge in each of the taluka where rainfall is measured every three hours.

This data is released to other departments including the CM Portal, he added.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani also addressed the controversy earlier today, saying that the government has its own system in place to measure downpour in each taluka. However, he added, the PMD has towers in specific areas to measure rain.

Ghani backed the district administration’s claim, saying that 281mm rain was recorded in Sukkur city. "Sukkur received five spells of torrential rains," he said.