At least nine persons were killed as the city on Monday received its first widespread monsoon rain but remained deserted with no trade activities, as businessmen called the Chief Minister Sindh's media activism an 'eyewash'.
Mainly deaths were reported from electrocution, including two kids, as electricity wires sparks continued during rain. Roads, streets, alleys, markets, playgrounds, schools, colleges and religious places suffered from the accumulated rainwater during the day. Traders estimated at least Rs5 billion losses from the markets closures as the government's rain emergency failed to cope with the climate challenges.
Prolonged power cuts also made public life more difficult with spewing gutter lines in several areas with no civic authorities seen helping the citizens amid downpours. Thin attendances at schools were also witnessed. The Sindh government announced an academic holiday for public and private sectors schools and colleges and other institutions due to the expected another rainy day.
Roads remained inundated with stagnant rainwater while stinky muddy waters from dampened piled up garbage struck streets and alleys in several outskirts and old areas of the city. More scattered rains are expected to hit the city in the next 24 hours, which traders and the public fear, will deteriorate further their daily life and scale back business activities.
The Met Office has forecast more widespread rains for the metropolis on Tuesday. The Met said that widespread rains with wind-thunderstorm and isolated heavy falls is expected in Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Hyderabad, Karachi, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Larkana divisions.
"Chief Minister Sindh media activism is fake and deceptive to place rain emergency just two days before the already forecast rains for the city," Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Mir told Business Recorder, saying that the market remained completely closed as rain never let traders resume their businesses that resulted in at least Rs5 billion losses. "There is also a thin chance for trade resumption on Tuesday if rains continue for another day," he said.
"Rain worsens the grain market," Chairman All Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association, Anis Majeed told Business Recorder, saying that the grain supplies from the market to the city was suspended as traders may not be able to resume trading if rains continued. He hoped the monsoon rains will help the next grain crops sprout with an increased output. He also clamoured over the prolonged power cuts in the city.
In the next 24 hours rain is expected in scattered places of Makran, Kalat, Sibbi, Nasirabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Malakand and Hazara divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Isolated fall may hit Multan, DG Khan, Sahiwal and Zhob divisions and Islamabad.
"Strong monsoon currents from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating southern parts, while moderate monsoon currents are reaching upper and central parts of the country," the Met said.
"I just want to know what this rain emergency is. I hear it every time but fail to witness anything positive when it rains," Atiq Mir asked the Chief Minister Sindh, saying that there is no hope left for tradesmen to believe the local authorities and provincial government as claims in media are just a 'joke'.
"Everywhere rainwater is increasing on the roads and streets as gutters are choked," he said, adding that there should a plan in place for entire year to keep nullas clean so that such a rain made mess could be avoided in future. However, he showed pessimism over the provincial government's pledges.
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