Karachi | Pakistan

The death toll from rain-related incidents in Karachi rose to eight on Wednesday, while over 300 people were relocated to safety after heavy monsoon showers swelled the Malir and Lyari rivers. Lyari and Malir rivers serve as Karachi’s main storm drains, channelling rainwater through a network of nullahs into the Arabian Sea. Once natural seasonal streams, they are now heavily constricted by urban sprawl, encroachments, and solid waste, turning many drains into open sewers. This blockage reduces their capacity to carry stormwater, causing frequent urban flooding during monsoon downpours. Four more people died in rain-related incidents in the metropolis today, raising the death toll since yesterday to eight, while three were missing, according to rescue services. Edhi rescuers recovered the bodies of three men and a woman after a van carrying four people fell into the rain-filled Konkar Nadi in Gadap Town, a statement issued by the Edhi Foundation said. The rescue operation to find the other missing people was ...

Torrential rains wreaked havoc across Hyderabad and Karachi over the past 24 hours, inundating low-lying areas, damaging infrastructure, and triggering emergency conditions in several localities.

Karachi experienced showers throughout Tuesday as the Met Office warned that “torrential rains” could cause urban flooding and waterlogging in the city’s low-lying areas. Meanwhile, three people lost their lives in rain-related incidents, which included two teenagers, who lost their lives due to electrocution during the downpour. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that a deep depression system that was to cause rain in the city had weakened into a depression that was now lying over central Sindh. It would continue to move nearly west/ southwest-ward and gradually further weaken into a well-marked low pressure area during next 12 hours, the PMD added. “Due to this system strong monsoon currents are continually penetrating in the province. Under its influence, widespread rain-wind/ thundershower with strong gusty winds along with scattered heavy to very heavy/ isolated exceptional heavy falls are expected in … Karachi division till tomorrow with occasional gaps.” A view of a road in the Saddar ar...

Karachi experienced widespread rainfall on Tuesday as a powerful monsoon system continued to impact the city, bringing light to moderate showers in several areas and raising concerns of urban flooding.

Parts of Karachi received light rain on Monday intermittently amid a forecast for heavy showers in the city from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The city is bracing for heavy rainfall over the coming days as strong monsoon currents penetrate Sindh as the PMD had said a day ago that a deep depression was expected to enter the southeastern parts of the province from India today. While issuing a severe weather warning, the PMD had highlighted the likelihood of torrential rains, gusty winds and possible urban flooding across Karachi and other parts of Sindh. According to rainfall figures from the PMD as of 5pm today, University Road received the most rain with 8.8 millimetres, followed by Gulshan-i-Maymar (8mm), Gulshan-i-Hadeed (7mm), Airport Old Area (6.6mm), Saadi Town (4.3mm), Korangi (4mm), PAF Faisal Base 3mm), Jinnah Terminal (2.8mm), Nazimabad (1.5mm), North Karachi (1.2mm) and Keamari (1mm). In a message on X at 4:12pm, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said it had begun to rain again and urged p...

KARACHI: The city is bracing for heavy rainfall over the coming days as strong monsoon currents penetrate Sindh as a deep depression is expected to enter the southeastern parts of the province from India within the next 24 hours, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Sunday. While issuing a severe weather warning, the PMD highlighted the likelihood of torrential rains, gusty winds and possible urban flooding across Karachi and other parts of Sindh. “Thunderstorm and rains are expected tomorrow [Monday] in Karachi with possibility of heavy falls,” said PMD’s focal person Anjum Nazeer Zaigham. An advisory issued by the PMD stated that a depression over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Guajrat has intensified further into a deep depression. “It is very likely to move westward and entered in southeastern Sindh during the next 24 hours causing widespread rains with strong winds.” During the day, Karachi experienced overcast and humid conditions, with dense cloud cover persisting throughout. Light r...

Parts of Karachi received rain on Sunday evening as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast that the fresh rain spell in the city would continue till September 11 (Thursday). It would witness “rain-wind/thundershowers with a few moderate to isolated heavy falls/ very heavy falls”, the forecast said. According to DawnNewsTV, Bahria Town, Liaquatabad, FB Area and North Karachi began receiving rain today evening. Rainfall was also reported in North Nazimabad, Scheme-33, Gulshan-i-Hadeed and the M-9 motorway. According to the forecast by the Met Office, this spell of rain will possibly continue till Thursday “with occasional gaps” and may cause urban flooding and waterlogging in low-lying areas. At 5pm, the Met Office issued a weather warning, directing all concerned authorities to remain on high alert for the duration of the rain spell. The weather warning issued by the Met Office on Sept 7. Earlier, the Met Office also predicted “widespread rain wind/thundershower with scattered heavy to very heav...

The management of a private school in Karachi has been booked over charges of manslaughter after a young employee purportedly died by suicide, it emerged on Wednesday. The 25-year-old employee allegedly jumped from the eighth floor of the school building on September 1, according to a first information report (FIR) registered at Brigade police station. According to the complainant, who was the victim’s brother, “On September 1, he (the victim) left home at around 8:15am for work. At around 9:35am, I received a phone call informing me that my brother’s health had deteriorated and he was being taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).” The complainant said that when he arrived at JPMC, the school’s administration staff was also present and they informed him that his brother fell from the eighth floor of the building at around 8:45am. He added that when he reached the emergency room, he saw that his brother was dead. “It later transpired that my brother had left a message on social media, naming three ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted cloudy weather in Karachi on Monday, with chances of light drizzle in the evening and night.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Sunday claimed to have arrested five suspected militants linked with outlawed groups in separate incidents in Karachi, according to a statement. The CTD and Federal Intelligence Agency, acting on a tip-off, conducted joint operations in the Manghopir area and on Kashmir Road near the KMC Sports Complex and apprehended five suspects believed to be affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS), the statement read, quoting a spokesperson. “Two arrested suspects belong to the TTP, while three others belong to AQIS,” the statement read. “Illegal weapons were seized from their possession. They (weapons) have been sent to the police’s forensic science lab to ascertain whether they have been used in any criminal activity.” The CTD added that the suspects received training from a neighbouring country and were planning to carry out acts of terrorism in Karachi. “Cases of illegal possession of weapons have been regist...

A Karachi anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday sent Chanesar Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Chairman Farhan Ghani on a four-day physical remand over the alleged assault of a government employee. Farhan, brother of PPP leader and Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, was arrested and remanded in a terrorism and attempted murder case on Sunday for allegedly assaulting a government employee overseeing fibre optic network laying work on Sharea Faisal. Saeed had said his brother and his associates would voluntarily surrender themselves and prove their “innocence in court”. Farhan, Shakeel and Qamar Ahmed were produced before the ATC today upon the completion of their one-day police custody. The court asked the IO the charges under which the accused were booked, to which the IO responded that the accused had beaten up the complainant while he and others were laying down the fibre optic cable on Sharea Faisal. Farhan, who did not have legal representation, denied the claim, stating that he was “falsely accu...

Three people were killed and one was injured after a car hit a motorcycle at Karachi’s Drigh Road Underpass on Monday, officials said. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. A spokesperson for the Eastern District police said that the accident took place within the limits of the Sharea Faisal police station. “According to initial information, a car hit a motorcycle, causing serious injuries to passers-by who were taken to the hospital,” the spokesperson said. He added that the driver of the car had been arrested and the vehicle was in custody. Karachi’s Edhi Information Centre confirmed three fatalities, including two men and an unidentified woman, adding that another woman was injured. All were taken to Jinnah Hospital via Edhi ambulance. The traffic police have issued an alert that the Drigh Road Underpass is blocked due to the in...

Karachi residents faced disruptions in their daily commute on Monday morning due to traffic jams caused by repair work on tattered and flooded roads in the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains. Torrential rains on August 19 had flooded neighbourhoods, severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, left people stranded on roads for hours, disrupted industrial operations and led to prolonged power outages. Thoroughfares are still riddled with potholes, exposing the devastation of Karachi’s road network and posing serious dangers to commuters across the metropolis. Subsequently, as Karachiites left their homes for offices and schools this morning, they faced hurdles caused by accumulated rainwater and “development work” being carried out to repair the ruined roads, as reported by the traffic police. Areas in the Malir, East and Korangi districts were affected, with locations including the busy thoroughfare of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near Shaheen Complex. Dawn.com staffers also reported traffic congestion nea...

Pakistan Railways has unveiled plans to launch a high-speed bullet train service between Lahore and Karachi by 2030, cutting travel time between the two provincial capitals from 20 hours to just five.

Chanesar Town Chairman Farhan Ghani, brother of Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, was booked along with other suspects under terrorism charges for allegedly beating a “government employee” over an issue arising out of laying cables on Sharea Faisal in Karachi, it emerged on Sunday. According to a first information report (FIR) available with Dawn.com, the complainant said he is a government employee and performing his duties on August 22 while supervising the laying of fibre optic cable near a petrol pump on Sharea Faisal. “At around 4:47pm, around 20-25 persons travelling in three vehicles arrived there, in which the suspects and others were travelling,” the FIR stated. “They stopped their cars near him (the complainant) and called him over, saying that “sahib (Farhan Ghani) was asking ’With whose permission are you digging the land?’” The complainant replied by saying that he is a government employee, and this work is being carried out with a no-objection certificate from government institutions,...

KARACHI: Amid the city’s ongoing water crisis, recent monsoon rains have brought a significant improvement by raising the Hub Dam’s water level by 11 feet and securing potentially enough storage for up to three years. According to official sources, the water level at Hub Dam rose significantly due to the recent monsoon rains, increasing from 322 feet to 333 feet. Karachi faces severe water shortages, with a daily requirement of over 1,200 million gallons per day (MGD) but currently receiving only around 650 MGD, officials said. The Hub Dam supplies approximately 100 MGD to the Keamari and West districts, while the remainder is sourced from Keenjhar Lake. Officials say additional six feet of water is required to reach dam’s maximum capacity of 339 feet Officials also said that the dam’s maximum capacity is 339 feet and when filled to this level, it can supply water to the West, Keamari and Central districts of the city for up to three years. When the dam reaches full capacity, excess water is released through ...

It was almost deja vu. We’d walked through this foul water before. Felt our way through barely recognisable streets from memory. When you live in a city like Karachi, it almost begins to feel normal. And yet, nothing can get you used to the fact that you — the privileged you, who has made a living out of writing on the city’s myriad governance issues — will be among the thousands stranded in water-clogged streets as you experience it in real time. Time and again. In 2020, when Karachi witnessed one of its worst floods in decades — it can’t definitively be the worst because we like beating our own records — my dad and I walked back home, to Garden West, from I.I. Chundrigar Road in waist-high floodwaters. At 55, my father was surprisingly surefooted with the stride of a mountain goat. He dragged me through the deluge, all the while making sure to keep an eye open for potholes, ragged stones and bare electric wires. He even cracked a joke here and there to ensure that the neurotransmitters in my brain remained ...

ISLAMABAD: After prolonged delays in securing financing from Beijing threatened to put a strain on a strategic mining project, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has stepped in to fund upgrades to part of Pakistan’s railway system. The ADB is in advanced talks to lead the financing of a $2 billion upgrade of a 500-km stretch of the railway line, which had previously been part of the Chinese project, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. The proposed rail upgrade would modernise the track and bridges from the com­mercial capital Karachi to Rohri, near Suk­kur, so that trains can run faster. In Rohri, the line will meet a branch coming from the area of the Reko Diq mine and will carry the copper concentrate to port. The upgrade has become urgent, sour­ces said, as it is needed to transport copper ore from the Reko Diq mine currently being developed by Canada’s Barrick Mining Corp. Earlier this week, ADB announced $410 million in financing for the Reko Diq mine itself, and its presiden...

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has given a strong rebuttal in response to the Mayor Murtaza Wahab’s recent press conference, accusing him and the Sindh government of failing to deliver development funds to towns under JI and failing to control Karachi rain crises, ARY News reported. Following Murtaza Wahab’s recent press conference, JI also addressed the city’s […]

Four more people were confirmed on Friday to have died in a fire that broke out in a warehouse in Karachi the previous day, bringing the total death toll to six, according to rescue officials. A massive explosion took place inside a warehouse in a densely populated area near Karachi’s Taj Medical Complex on MA Jinnah Road yesterday afternoon, in which 33 people were injured and two were confirmed to have lost their lives. Rescue 1122 said today that the number of deaths from the incident had risen to six after a fourth body was retrieved. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said earlier today that two people had died during treatment, while three bodies were recovered from the site. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the deaths occurred because of “multiple crush injuries and suffocation”. She said one died owing to suffocation, and two other deaths occurred from multiple crush injuries, while the autopsy of two other bodies could not be conducted. Meanwhile, Rescue-1...