Rain coupled with winds and thunderstorm lashed Karachi and affected routine life on Sunday. It started raining in morning and intermittently continued till evening, causing great hardships for both pedestrians and motorists, as almost all low-lying roads and streets got inundated.
Many motorcyclists got injuries due to slipping of their two-wheelers. Power supply was also badly interrupted in various areas of the city. Many telephone lines were affected, too, due to rain.
Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Jahangir Mirza asked the DIG Traffic Karachi to implement the rain emergency plan so as to facilitate the citizens in rainy weather.
He said that traffic should be diverted to alternative routes in areas where roads were closed due to uplift works. He said that, to avoid traffic jams, vehicles becoming out of order due to rain should be removed from the roads.
He said that citizens should be provided guidance about traffic conditions through 915 Traffic Helpline. He said that all complaints, received on phone 134, should be entertained timely to solve problems faced by motorists and pedestrians. He said that water accumulating on roads should be immediately pumped away.
He asked all SSPs of traffic zones to be in constant touch with the Met Office and monitor traffic arrangements according to weather conditions.