Yet, rather than a jolly old man snoring in his bed, roads have turned to rivers, citizens wade across muddy waters, and scenes of submerged houses and floating cars have caused a public outcry.
Another unprecedented monsoon spell has pointed to poor infrastructure planning and wreaked havoc in the port city of Karachi. The second day of rainfall began before sunrise and is expected to continue through the night. The Met department has recorded that Karachi has received 345mm of rainfall in August, breaking the previous record of 298mm reported in August 1984.
The Sindh Provincial Government has declared a rain emergency as heavy rains lash across Karachi, and 90 people have been killed due to monsoon-related reasons across Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan has sent officials to pump rainwater out of residential areas in Karachi as traffic jams and power outages cause city-wide worry.
The heavy rainfall has caused flooding in shops and destroyed the livelihood of hundreds of citizens, while colonies are all at risk of major flooding as the Lath and Thaddo Dams in Karachi have overflowed. Electricity supply has been temporarily suspended, and officials have reported a landslide in areas of Karachi.
Although Met had reported that light showers were to hit the city, the weakened rainfall system merged with another system floating from Balochistan resulting in heavy rain. Karachi has been sandwiched between systems generating rainy clouds and humidity from the seas, increasing the torrential downfall. Experts said that the high 35,000 - 4,000ft altitude of dark clouds hovering above the city was a reason for the intensity of the rain. Normally, such clouds are at a height of 2000-3000ft.
A day earlier, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar had said the people of Karachi were facing “criminal negligence” on part of PPP for the last four years. The mayor reported that he received only Rs.500 million on the directives of the Supreme Court for drains’ cleaning. “Drains of Karachi cannot be cleaned until there is a proper garbage lifting system,” he said and has requested that Prime Minister Imran Khan come himself to the city.
As colonies and citizens wait for rain-relief in the sinking city, another shower is expected this week before a 'two day gap'.
