By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Torrential monsoon rains have killed seven people and displaced over 300 in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, as swollen rivers overwhelmed the city’s strained drainage system, officials said Wednesday. Rescue teams continued searching for three missing individuals amid forecasts of more rain.
The Malir and Lyari rivers, Karachi’s primary stormwater channels, feed rainwater through a network of nullahs into the Arabian Sea. Once seasonal streams, these waterways are now clogged by urban sprawl, encroachments, and solid waste, often functioning as open sewers. This constriction exacerbates flooding during monsoons.
Four additional deaths were reported on Wednesday, bringing the toll since Tuesday to seven, rescue services said. The Edhi Foundation reported recovering the bodies of Nabu Gulab, 60, Raja Gulab, 45, and Javed Shah, 45, after a van carrying four people plunged into the rain-swollen Konkar Nadi in Gadap Town. Efforts to locate a fourth passenger continue. Separately, an 18-year-old, Ahmed Qadir, died of electrocution in district central.
Rescue 1122 reported saving Mustafa Ali Gul from the Malir River, where Farhan Akram remains missing. Two others were rescued from the Lyari River. In Saadi Town, Rescue 1122 and the Pakistan Army evacuated 10 people, including two men, three women, and six children, and eight others trapped in Nashr Basti and Isa Nagri due to waterlogging.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said on X that 318 people had been evacuated from areas near the Lyari River, with rescue teams still on the ground. “All major arteries of the city as well as underpasses are clear and open for traffic,” he said.
Since Sunday, Karachi has received nearly 144 millimeters of rain, with Surjani Town recording the highest amount, followed by Gulshan-i-Maymar, Gulshan-i-Hadeed, and Korangi with 90-110 mm, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, joined by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, toured flood-affected areas, including the Lyari River, Jinnah Avenue, Saadi Town, and the under-construction Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway, set for completion by year’s end, and Qayyumabad Chowk near Korangi Causeway.
Addressing rumors of the expressway’s operational section collapsing, Shah clarified during a media briefing that the damaged area was an incomplete section under construction. “A bund is being built properly on the river, so when water from the river comes and it (the bund) is incomplete, then the water will pass through some location or another.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the drownings in Gadap and directed the National Disaster Management Authority to support Sindh’s relief efforts. He praised Rescue 1122, the Pakistan Army, and Rangers for their work and urged authorities to locate the missing, enhance public awareness, and restore flood-damaged infrastructure. “The federal and Sindh governments are fully mobilized to deal with the flood situation,” he said, prioritizing relief and rehabilitation for affected families.
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