Localities submerged as Lyari, Malir rivers overflow
KARACHI:
Torrential rains battered Karachi on Wednesday, swelling the Lyari and Malir rivers beyond their banks and leaving large swathes of the city underwater. Entire neighbourhoods were inundated overnight, forcing hundreds of families to abandon their homes in panic as floodwater rushed inside.
Dozens of households spent the night on rooftops or shifted to relatives’ homes, while those who stayed behind struggled with waist-deep water, trying desperately to drain their houses without any official help. Furniture, bedding, and appliances have been destroyed, and residents complain that the absence of relief camps has worsened their misery.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), more than 35 localities along the two rivers were submerged. Laila Raza of Karachi Bachao Tehreek said hundreds of families are suffering in silence. “People are still trying to clear water on their own. Not a single shelter or relief camp has been provided,” she told reporters.
Rescue teams, backed by the Pakistan Army, Navy, Rangers, and 1122, moved many residents to safer locations. Yet, those left behind face severe shortages of food and drinking water, no sanitation facilities, and growing fears of disease outbreaks. “Children and women are the worst hit they have no toilets, no clean water, nothing,” one volunteer said.
For many, the ordeal was nothing short of terrifying. “It was a night of horror,” recalled Perveen Khatoon of Essa Nagri. “Water entered our homes suddenly. Some were asleep, others awake everyone panicked. Families fled, some leaving everything behind.”
In Malir and Gadap, torrents from nearby hills rushed into Thaddo Dam and other reservoirs, which soon overflowed into surrounding villages. Many families, caught off guard, were forced to spend the night on rooftops. Others sought temporary refuge with relatives.
Residents of Machhar Colony and Gujjar Nullah also reported devastation. “We live hand-to-mouth. Now, either we stay home to remove water or go out to earn our bread,” said Manzoora Begum of Machhar Colony, breaking down as she criticised the government’s inaction.
Experts say Karachi’s poor drainage system has magnified the disaster. “The city has two major rivers and more than 500 storm drains,” explained urban planner Muhammad Tauheed. “Continuous rains have pushed both rivers beyond capacity, flooding nearby settlements.”
Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed acknowledged that the rivers had overflowed into surrounding populations but claimed the situation was “under control.” She said coordinated relief efforts by the Sindh government, KMC, PDMA, Rangers, and the armed forces were underway, and that with rainfall subsiding, water levels were now receding.
