KARACHI: The Meteorological Department has sounded the alarm for Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin and Dadu to prepare for rains as a system will enter from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, signaling the start of Monsoon 2022.

There will be thundershowers and heavy rain from June 30 to 5. The low-lying areas of Sindh are in danger of flooding. The disaster management authority in Azad Kashmir has also issued an alert.

Crazy #KarachiRain now expected for Sunday night & Monday morning, along with extreme rainfall in much of central #Sindh. Start preparing! pic.twitter.com/81Q7F53dJK

— Dawar Butt (@theLahorewala) June 30, 2022

Whenever it rains 30mm within 12 hours in Karachi expect major flooding on M.A Jinnah Road, Shahra-eFaisal, Sher Shah Suri Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Guru Mandir etc.

In 1977 the area around Malir and Lyari rivers flooded, killing 267 people and leaving more than 30,000 others homeless. The loss was estimated at Rs5b (KDA,1981)

Monsoon 2022 begins

The new weather system will bring monsoon rains from today, Thursday, to Sindh, Kashmir, Punjab, Islamabad and the coastal areas, according to the Meteorological Department. Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore have been told to brace for flooding along with the lower reaches of Rawalpindi. Warnings of landslides in upper areas have been issued.

Karachi’s total annual rainfall is about 208 mm with the monsoon sitting between June and September. July is the wettest month with an average rainfall of 85mm.

Monsoon rains are also expected in the first week of July in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities including DI Khan, Dir, Swat, Malakand and Turgar.

The Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in a statement said that heavy rains were expected in Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Batgram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Nowshera and Peshawar while landslides were expected in sensitive areas.

“Rain-windstorm/thundershower is expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Swat, Haripur, Mardan, Swabi, Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sargodha, Hafizabad, M. B Din, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, T.T Singh, Okara, Sahiwal and Bahawalnagar from 30th June to 04th July,” the Met Office said adding that isolated heavy falls were also expected during the period.

It said that rain-windstorm/thundershower (Isolated heavy falls) were expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Dadu, Zhob, Ziarat, Barkhan, Loralai, Kohlu, Quetta, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Naseerabad and Sibbi from July 1 to 5.

The PDMA has issued a letter to the district administration and concerned authorities stating that there is a danger of flooding in the canals of most areas including Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan.

PDMA Director General Sharif Hussain directed the administration to take precautionary measures and remain alert in view of strong winds and rains to ensure the availability of small and heavy machinery at the landslide site.

‘Efforts afoot’ to provide ease to people

Karachi administrator Murtaza Wahab has said the provincial government was making efforts to provide ease to the public, admitting that difficulties and hurdles were part of the job.

“My target is to perform a better task, no matter who is the mayor or administrator,” he said while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

He claimed that cleanliness and rainwater drainage efforts last time in the city were better.