Around 40 percent of the city may witness 'blackout' as the floodwater was set to enter K-Electric's 220 kV grid station - one of the critical grids, which is part of the main circuit of the power utility. "Overflow of Lath Dam, caused by the fresh spell of rain, was creating a highly critical situation for KE as the floodwater reached near the boundary wall of the KDA grid station located on Super Highway near Gulzar-e-Hijri," said a KE official.
"If rainwater gushes into the grid station, KE would be left with no option but to switch off the unit, that means nearly 40 percent of Karachi would witness blackout," he added. For the time being, he said the system is intact. Coordinated efforts are under way to stop water from entering the premises.
During the previous spell of rain, Pak Army and rangers had to swing into action to protect the same KE grid station from floodwater. The city received moderate to heavy rains on Monday, turning the roads and streets into water pools and adding up to civic problems. Some 200 KE feeders got tripped, resulting in abrupt power suspension to large part of the metropolis.
Major storm drains clogged with wastage left parks, playgrounds and inner arteries of several localities flooded as water couldn't find passage for onward movement. Sharea Faisal also got flooded causing great inconvenience to motorists. Due to rainwater accumulation, Korangi Causeway was closed to traffic. This situation prompted the traffic police to divert vehicles from expressway to Qayoomabad and Jam Sadiq Bridge,
Gadap city - Kathore Link Road was also submerged, cutting the area off from the rest of the city. Citizens faced power outages in Lyari, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony and other areas. Civic agencies, including Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), District Municipal Corporations (DMCs) and Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KW&SB) seemed unmoved despite imposition of rain emergency while citizens braved flooding.
The recent five rain spells have already wrecked havoc with the city, claiming over 20 lives, including minors in electrocution while many localities are still inundated. The planners are of the view that flooding is a chronic issue for Karachi, which is compounded by the weakness of other infrastructure such as a leaking and clogged sewerage system, growing heaps of garbage and a dilapidated road network which regresses into potholes and sinkholes when it rains.
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