KARACHI, July 29: Karachi continued to receive intermittent showers on Tuesday with the death toll rising to at least 15 in the two days’ rains.
Police and Edhi sources said 12 people died on Tuesday in different parts of the city in rain-related incidents. Seven people died from electrocution.
They have been identified as Naveed, 17, Tariq Road; Mohammad Akmal, 17, Gulistan-i-Jauhar; Fahim, 15, and Kashan, New Town; Ismail, 25, Cattle Colony, Landhi; a private security guard, Haji Khan, Clifton; and Mohammad Ismail, 27, near old Sabzi Mandi.
Three people died by drowning. Imran, 19, drowned in Khokhrapar’s storm water drain. An unidentified man drowned after he fell off the Native Jetty bridge and the body of a man was retrieved in Federal B Area’s storm water drain.
An unidentified boy died after he fell off the roof of his house in Pak Colony.
A seven-year-old boy, Anwer, died when he was trapped in the rubble of a wall of his house which collapsed due to rain in Gulbahar.
WEATHER: Light rain and drizzle continued intermittently in the metropolis as the Met office recorded an average of 7.26 millimetres of rain on Tuesday.
Meteorological Department officials told Dawn that the current system of wet spell would probably end by Wednesday but the weather may remain cloudy.
They added that in July, Karachi had received more than 335.2 millimetres of rain.
They said that on Tuesday the PMD observatory at Masroor Base recorded 11 millimetres of rain, Faisal Base five millimetres, University Road 9.4 millimetres, Baldia six millimetres, North Karachi 4.5 millimetres, and Airport 7.7 millimetres.
The PMD officials predicted that light to moderate rains in interior of the province were likely in the next 12 to 16 hours and thereafter the current wet spell would become insignificant.
The southern parts of Balochistan will come under torrential rains within next 24 hours, a weather expert of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, Syed Irfan Raza adds from Islamabad.
The official said flood like situation in Karachi will become normal within next 16 hours as intense low pressure which created havoc in various parts of Sindh had travelled towards southern Balochistan.
He said about 110mm of rain had been reported in Karachi within last 24 hours. However, the intensity of rains had reduced in the provincial capital as intense low pressure’s cell had scattered there.
The PMD’s expert said the currents carrying heavy moisture came from India and after touching Sindh and Balochistan areas, they would proceed to the Oman coast and become dry.
The official feared that the situation in Balochistan could be worse as water releasing capacity of various channels in the province was quite lower as compared to Sindh. Areas like Gwadar, Pasni, Lasbela, Khuzdar and others were likely to receive heavy rains, he said.
He advised fishermen to halt their activities near coastal areas.
Meanwhile, an official of Federal Flood Commission (FFC) told Dawn that the water level and inflow and outflow of major rivers was normal.
According to the FFC’s report prepared on Tuesday, water level at Tarbela was 1533.32 feet against its highest capacity of 1550 feet. The flow of water at Tarbela was 293,000 cusec and outflow was 240,000 cusec.
Water level at Chashma was stated to be 645 feet against its maximum level of 649 feet and inflow of water was 369,127 cusec while the volume of discharge was reported as 349,777 cusec.
In Mangla, the water level was 1199.75 feet and its inflow and outflow of water was 30,000 cusec and 24,558 cusec respectively.
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