According to weather analyst Jawad Memon, Karachi is bracing for another wave of rainfall on Thursday as the active monsoon system over Keti Bandar, Sindh, and the north Arabian Sea continues to drive storm activity. Memon forecasts that thunderclouds will form between 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm, with rain expected to follow in the late afternoon, evening, and night. He warned that the city can expect a mix of moderate to heavy, torrential rain, similar to the conditions experienced yesterday.
Memon added that while the system’s intensity is expected to decrease gradually from Friday, light to moderate rain might persist. He cautioned that a brief respite of only a few days is expected before another, potentially stronger monsoon system heads towards Sindh around August 29-30.
The Met Office similarly forecast moderate rain and thunderstorms in most parts of Karachi over the next 24 hours, with the possibility of heavy downpours in some areas. The minimum temperature recorded today was 29°C, with 81% humidity and winds blowing from the southeast at 3 km per hour.
Rainfall Statistics
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that Orangi Town received the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours, with 113 mm. This was followed by Faisal Base (43 mm), Korangi (36 mm), Keamari (31 mm), and Jinnah Terminal (28 mm). University Road and Masroor Base each recorded 24 mm of rain, while DHA Phase 2 and Airport Old Area received 21 mm each. Other areas that saw significant rainfall include Gulshan-e-Hadeed (20 mm), Nazimabad (19 mm), Surjani Town and Saadi Town (16 mm each), North Karachi (9 mm), and Gulshan-e-Maymar (7 mm).
CM Defends Response, Blames Public for Congestion
The death toll from rain-related incidents in Karachi rose to 17 on Wednesday following the intermittent downpours that have battered the city since Tuesday. The urban flooding left many people and vehicles stranded, and major roads are still scattered with potholes. Speaking on the Geo News program “Geo Pakistan,” Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah apologized to citizens affected by Tuesday’s heavy rain. “In such heavy rain there will be urban flooding. Karachi flooded, I am saying to everyone we are apologetic, but you cannot press a button and drain all the water immediately,” he stated.
CM Murad explained that he had directed the Commissioner to issue a stay-at-home advisory when the rain intensified, but the message did not reach the public effectively. “Everybody went out on the street,” he said. “Yesterday also there was rain, I went out, Sharea Faisal was completely blocked. My request to people is that they should listen to the government.” He emphasized that disaster management requires patience and coordination, asserting that draining the water in five to six hours showed that the work was done effectively. “It is disaster management. You cannot avoid a disaster; you manage a disaster,” he said. “If work had not been done, then how was the water drained in 5–6 hours? Work was done. It takes time. We have to realize you have to manage a disaster; you cannot fight nature. Our mistake was that we should not have let people go out on the road, we should have closed that road,” the CM noted.
