Karachi – In just a few hours, the rain washed away routine, leaving behind flooded homes, stranded commuters, and grieving families. Latest updates.
Karachi once again finds itself under water. What should have been a much-needed monsoon shower to break the heat has instead turned into chaos — with streets submerged, lives lost, electricity gone, and the city’s fragile infrastructure exposed for all to see.
At least seven to eight people have already died in separate rain-related incidents. Walls crumbled in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Orangi, burying children and entire families beneath the debris. Electrocutions claimed more lives in North Karachi and Defence, while a short-circuit at a petrol pump in Malir caused a fire that killed one man and critically injured two others. The faces behind these numbers were ordinary people caught in extraordinary neglect — their deaths stark reminders that Karachi’s rain tragedies are never just about the weather.
Flooded Roads, Stranded Citizens
From Surjani Town and Gulshan-e-Iqbal to Shahrah-e-Faisal and Malir, the rainwater quickly swallowed roads, intersections, and underpasses. Hassan Square, Nipa, Korangi, and the Expressway turned into parking lots as cars stood bumper to bumper for hours. People returning from work or school were trapped in gridlocks, some forced to abandon vehicles and wade home through waist-deep water. Major arteries like II Chundrigar Road and Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road were unrecognisable, drowned under sheets of water.
Darkness Across Karachi
The downpour also dragged Karachi into darkness. More than 600 K-Electric feeders tripped, cutting supply to entire neighbourhoods. Baldia, Orangi, Defence, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Korangi, Surjani, and Liaquatabad were among the hardest hit, with some areas remaining powerless for hours. KE said restoration was being hampered by submerged substations and standing water, while citizens took to social media in anger, stuck without electricity, internet, or even phone signals as PTCL services faltered.
Flights Grounded, City Disconnected
The rains didn’t just paralyse roads — they also crippled air travel. PIA cancelled domestic flights between Karachi, Quetta, and Islamabad, while international departures to Jeddah, Madinah, and Najaf faced hours-long delays. Many passengers couldn’t even reach Jinnah International Airport in time due to waterlogging and gridlocks. The disruptions left travellers stranded at terminals, some waiting indefinitely for updates as operations buckled under weather conditions.
Emergency Declared
With the city barely moving, Karachi’s mayor declared a Rain Emergency. The Sindh government also announced a public holiday on August 20, shutting down schools, colleges, and offices. Rescue 1122 teams were deployed across neighbourhoods, while traffic police warned citizens to avoid unnecessary travel. Yet for many, the warnings came too late — the damage was already done.
Karachi’s Monsoon Reality
The Meteorological Department has warned of more rains in coming days. Tuesday alone saw Gulshan-e-Hadeed record over 170mm, while Airport Old Area, Jinnah Terminal, Surjani, and Nazimabad also logged staggering amounts. Each spell now deepens the city’s misery, flooding low-lying homes, collapsing walls, and testing already strained drainage systems.
Across Pakistan, this monsoon season has been unforgiving, claiming more than 700 lives nationwide since June. But in Karachi, a city of over 20 million, the scale of collapse is magnified — civic systems fail with every spell, and ordinary citizens are left to fend for themselves. And it’s not just Karachi — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner district, sudden flash floods swept away homes and lives this week, a reminder that no corner of the country has been spared from the havoc of these rains.
Sources: Dawn, Tribune, Dawn, Profit Pakistan Today
