Life in Karachi disrupted as rains continue for second day

The second consecutive day of rain in Karachi brought with it problems for city dwellers, as water flooded roads and power was disrupted in large parts of the city.

Four people, including a minor, were also injured as the roof on an under-construction house collapsed in Shirin Jinnah Colony, reported DawnNews.

Traffic congestion

Traffic on roads leading to Nazimabad from Guru Mandir moved at a snail's pace as rainwater gathered on roads, compounding traffic movement problems especially in areas where the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit system is currently under construction.

Water build-up was also reported in the Tower, Hyderi, Malir, Kareemabad and Defence Phase VI areas.

Power outages

As many as 20 K-Electric feeders had tripped as soon as the city received rain, DawnNews reported.

In a tweet on their official page, K-Electric later claimed that most of these feeders had been brought back online and that "KE teams continue to work non-stop to ensure complete normalisation across the city".

However, residents from parts of Nazimabad, Gulistan-i-Johar, DHA Phase I, Phase II extension and Phase IV, Site, Garden West, Lyari, Malir and Baldia Town said Saturday afternoon that electricity had yet to be restored in their regions.

Ride-hailing services disrupted

Although popular ride-sharing service Careem on its Facebook page carried a message inviting patrons to " Seize this beautiful day with Careem", comments underneath the post revealed that many users had difficulties finding rides nearby.

People who did find a ride claimed that they had to wait for as long as an hour for the car to reach them.

Uber users also claimed that no cars were available in most areas and a multiple of at least 2x was applied to fares in areas where a ride could be hailed.

Temperature drops

The maximum temperature recorded in the city on Thursday had been 26 degrees Celsius, which dropped to 23 degrees Celsius on Friday. The minimum temperature too had dropped down to 10 degrees Celsius before the weekend.

A MET official said PAF Base Masroor received the maximum amount of rainfall, which was six millimetres.

North Karachi and North Nazimabad received 4mm of rainfall, airport (2mm), PAF Base Faisal (1mm), while light rain was reported in Landhi.

The Karachi Development Authority and District Municipal Corporation-South have announced a state of emergency in their respective areas.