Choked drains cause rain to flood Karachi’s streets and roads

Rain wreaked havoc in different parts of Karachi on Thursday afternoon, flooding the major thoroughfares as well as several other roads and streets in different areas of the city, with commuters facing traffic congestions, while there were also reports of power breakdowns in some areas that lasted quite long.

The localities without electricity included North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, North Karachi, New Karachi, Landhi, Korangi, Malir, parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Surjani Town, Quaidabad, Yaseenabad, Federal B Area, Gulberg, Shah Faisal Town, II Chundrigar Road, Garden, parts of Lyari, MA Jinnah Road, Saddar, parts of DHA, Clifton and Boat Basin.

K-Electric announced on its Twitter account that power supply to FB Area III and VII was restored after the rain. Power supply to Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s various blocks, Surjani Town and other areas of the city was also resumed, according to KE.

District Central was the worst-hit area of the city. The Nagan Chowrangi area was completely flooded as usual. The road leading from Nagan Chowrangi towards Sakhi Hassan was completly inundated with knee-deep water.

Several cars were submerged in rainwater, while a truck turned over due to the pressure of the water. Three to four feet of water had accumulated at some points, due to which even pedestrian movement had been restricted.

Several motorists parked their cars at the Sakhi Hassan flyover to avoid the submerged roads. They resumed their journeys only after the water was cleared. Those living in nearby apartment buildings had no option but to remain inside as the traffic all around came to a standstill. An old-timer said the Sindh government and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) were responsible for the situation.

Another resident said the government should come up with a proper solution. “Mere drain cleaning won’t do any good. There has to be a permanent solution.” Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem tweeted that he had deployed the New Karachi assistant commissioner at Nagan Chowrangi, where the traffic was stuck. At around 7pm, he tweeted that Nagan Chowrangi was motorable, while teams were still working to ensure proper traffic movement.

Saleem also shared on his Twitter account that the KDA roundabout was completely submerged by rainwater. He advised the public to take caution while travelling there. The road leading from 4K Chowrangi to Dou Minute Chowrangi was also inundated and completely barred for traffic movement. The road in New Karachi No. 5 was flooded due to an overflowing nullah, with the water leaving people stranded.

North Nazimabad’s Block-F, which is considered an upmarket area, with its 1,000- to 2,000-square-yard houses, was completely flooded as the storm water drains overflowed after the rain. Knee-deep water entered the houses, leaving people to fend for themselves.

In District East, rainwater halted traffic movement at Samama, near the Safari Park at Nipa and at the Hassan Square. Several parts of Sharea Faisal were also inundated with rainwater, halting traffic for hours. Commuters returning home from work were stranded on different roads across the city.

The traffic awareness and social media unit of the DIG Traffic Karachi shared that traffic movement remained slow at Airport Road, Nipa Bridge, Sohrab Goth, Shafiq Morr, Capri Cinema up to Jama Cloth, Hassan Square and several other streets of the city.

‘Under control’

Karachi Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab, who is also the provincial government’s spokesman and the chief minister’s law adviser, said that the situation had deteriorated in some areas of the city due to the return of water from the drains.

“Water comes from the hills, and there are choked points below. However, the KMC and DMC [district municipal corporation] staff continued to work for the drainage of rainwater, which made drainage possible, especially in the low-lying areas. The situation remained under control.”

Wahab made these remarks while talking to the media during his tour of the city after the rain. He said the staff had not been in the habit of working during the past six years.

However, he added, now they have been activated and every effort is being made to ensure that the drainage situation in the city remains normal during rains. He visited Hussainabad, Karimabad, Moosa Colony, Hyderi, Five Star Chowrangi, KDA Chowrangi, Nagan Chowrangi and other low-lying areas in District Central.

DC Saleem briefed Wahab about the drainage works in different areas of the district, saying that the relevant staff was working in all the areas, with rainwater being pumped through machinery and dewatering pumps.

The administrator ordered special attention to be paid to the choking points of the storm water drains, saying that they must be cleared as soon as possible. “Wherever there is an obstruction, drainage should be restored and normalised.”

He said that all available resources of the KMC and DMC should be used for this purpose, and if more machinery and pumps are required, they will be provided as well. Earlier, he had visited various areas of District South and reviewed the post-rain situation in the MA Jinnah Road, Shaheen Complex, Tower, Native Jetty localities and their adjoining areas, issuing instructions to the officers concerned on the spot.

‘Power supply stable’

A press statement issued by KE said that as the city received bursts of heavy rain on Thursday, the company ensured power supply to the city and its adjoining areas remained stable.

KE said its teams remained vigilant and continued to monitor the situation as the weather intensified, adding that majority of the utility’s distribution network consisting of 1,900 feeders remained stable and continued to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity.

It said supply to areas with high incidence of theft and Kunda (illegal connection) usage was pre-emptively shut down in the interest of public safety, but the supply was restored after receiving clearance from its ground teams.

The KE spokesperson said: “Karachi received moderate to heavy rainfall in short bursts in the afternoon and power supply to some areas was affected as a result. Even at its peak, power supply to Karachi was ensured through over 1,700 feeders of our network.

“Some areas were temporarily powered off out of an abundance of caution owing to the prevalence of safety hazards in these areas such as Kundas and encroachments of public infrastructure by TV and internet cables. However, restoration efforts in these areas also began immediately after the rain subsided and clearance was received from ground teams.”

With more rain predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the spokesperson advised citizens to continue observing precautionary measures and maintain a safe distance from electricity infrastructure at all times.

The spokesperson said that the utility remains available 24/7 for any queries or complaints via its call centre 118, SMS service 8119, KE Live App and social media platforms, advising customers to use these channels for further assistance.