Torrential rains, floods and landslides in Karachi and surrounding areas have once again raised questions over poor urban planning in Pakistan’s biggest city. Dozens were killed and hundreds of people have been left homeless in Karachi ruining Eid celebrations.
The Express Tribune reported that southern Karachi was inundated with waist-high water early Monday morning. These areas “received the most rain till now after a slow-moving thunderstorm stalled over the city during early morning hours”. Posh neighbourhoods such as DHA and Clifton, too, saw severe flooding as water entered the houses of the residents who pointed out the negligence of the Sindh authorities that led to their Eid festivities being ruined.
In Balochistan, eight dams burst, killing at least 57 people. Several roads and underpasses shut down due to the water-logging.
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Are people being heard?
Citizens took to Twitter—#KarachiRains was trending—to vent their ire against the lack of proper management and poor infrastructure due to which most of the low-lying areas in Karachi, including the Central district were inundated.
This is not river but a road in Karachi
pic.twitter.com/Kzu9YUlHMN
— Moments & memories (@momentmemori) July 11, 2022
People tweeted images from places that were flooded in Karachi and asked the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government for accountability and answers.
Pakistani journalist Raja Muhammad Saqib took to Twitter to point out how the situation was beyond the control of local and provincial authorities.
Haleem Adil Sheikh, the leader of the opposition in Sindh, too lashed out at the government for not looking after the infrastructure and sought accountability of the expenditure of development funds.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that he was “deeply saddened” by the damage caused due to the rains and said that he had “offered to extend every possible support”.
Just spoke to CM Syed Murad Ali Shah. Deeply saddened by the tragic losses due to torrential rains in Karachi. I am confident that Sindh govt will rise to the occasion & bring life back to normal under the able leadership of CM Sindh. Have offered to extend every possible support
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 11, 2022
The rain, which lasted for more than 10 hours, left Karachi with massive power outages and at least seven people dead of electrocution.
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What makes Karachi flood?
This is not the first time that Karachi has seen such devastating floods. In 2020, hundreds of people had to flee to shelters after their houses were destroyed due to heavy rains.
In a report for Geo TV, sustainability planning advisor Farhan Anwar blamed unplanned urbanisation for the floods in Karachi, where “public and open spaces are disappearing, and that concrete has taken their place, causing water to accumulate.” Poor drainage, blocked sewerage and lack of proper housing exacerbate the problem.
While the government claimed it had a rain emergency plan, the MQM-P issued a statement against it, stating that the “rains exposed the state of Karachi’s infrastructure” and that citizens were suffering due to the government’s incompetence.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is one of the countries most impacted by climate change. In June, the country witnessed rainfalls that were above normal.
Pakistan faces the highest disaster risk levels in the world, ranked 18 out of 191 countries in the 2020 Inform Risk Index due to high exposure to flooding. Pakistan’s disaster risk is also driven by its social vulnerability due to its high rate of poverty. Extreme rainfalls also impact agriculture-dependent communities leading to concerns regarding food security and housing as well.