The heavy rains that the Meteorological Department had been predicting for weeks in Karachi were realized for the first time this season yesterday. Due to the continuous warnings of the Meteorological Department, it was not unreasonable to expect that the local and provincial administrations would have made satisfactory arrangements to deal with all kinds of situations, but in reality, what happened was what the residents of the country's largest city and economic capital have been experiencing every rainy season. Ten people died as a result of wall collapse, electrocution, and drowning; most of the city's roads, including major highways, turned into rivers; underpasses were filled with water; the Red Zone was also submerged in water for hours; hundreds of vehicles were stopped due to the worst traffic jam; petrol ran out; and citizens were stranded in water for hours. 550 feeders in the city were shut down, and electricity could not be restored in most areas until Wednesday afternoon. According to a spokesperson for K-Electric, the highways in the city are under water due to heavy rains, and the movement of K-Electric vehicles is also being affected due to the shutdown of fuel supply in the city.
On
the other hand, residents of the area say that even after several hours of the
rains stopping, the staff did not arrive to fix the fault. Internet and mobile
phone services in the city are also badly affected. A newspaper report has
rightly pointed out that flooding in Karachi due to heavy rains is not new. For
the last three and a half decades, the city has had to face similar critical
situations in the event of rain. Especially the deteriorating condition of
Shara-e-Faisal and II Chandrigar Road is clear proof of the poor performance
of the city government. Urban flooding has been seen repeatedly in Karachi as a
result of monsoon rains, but every year the same question arises: why the city
government has not been able to improve the drainage system on the main
highways for 35 years. In 1992, water accumulated for several days after heavy
rains in posh areas like Clifton and Bath Island.
In September 2011, about 140 mm of rain caused serious problems for the citizens. In 2020, the worst flood or urban flooding in Karachi's history was witnessed. During this time, more than 40 people died and billions of rupees were lost. In July 2022, continuous rain for several days caused severe chaos in the city. In February 2024, unusual rains tripped 700 electricity feeders and once again submerged the main highways. According to experts, the main causes of urban flooding in Karachi include an inefficient drainage system, unplanned residential and commercial construction known as concrete jungles, encroachment or occupation of storm drains, and climate change.
Even before the 2025
monsoon, experts and the National Disaster Management Authority had made it
clear that if the drains were not cleaned effectively, Karachi could sink once
again, and according to fears, that is exactly what happened. The rains on
August 19 have exposed the administration’s fort. This report, based on factual
facts, demands clarification for the city and provincial authorities regarding
their responsibilities. There are many big cities in the world that receive
much more rain than Karachi, but there are no roads that are damaged, no power
outages, and no traffic jams for the citizens. The fact that the city looks
like a disaster in a single rain is definitely a sign of mismanagement, and it is
the result of negligence in fulfilling responsibilities, without which the
claim to the right to rule cannot be considered legitimate.
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