Widespread urban flooding in Karachi: Intense rainfall causes near-total business shutdown

KARACHI: Strong winds and brief but intense rainfall brought Karachi to its knees on Thursday afternoon, triggering widespread urban flooding, traffic paralysis and a near-shutdown of trade activity across the city.

The weather system is part of a westerly wave continuously affecting the southern parts of the country, with further disruption forecast across Sindh into Friday.

A short but ferocious spell of rain — accompanied by hail in some areas — lasting barely 20 minutes transformed the city’s daily rhythm almost instantly. Roads and streets in nearly all localities were submerged under a mixture of rainwater and sewage overflow, with major arteries including Shahrah-e-Faisal and MA Jinnah Road among the worst affected. Areas where road construction work is already underway were particularly vulnerable to waterlogging.

The deluge left cars overturned and floating in several neighbourhoods. A motorcyclist fell into an open manhole on Mina Bazar Road, losing his motorcycle in the process. Rainwater spilled over into markets across the city, including the Old City area and Saddar.

Even the roads outside the offices of the mayor and Korangi Town were seen flooded, leaving commuters struggling to move around. Hailstones of small size were reported from Clifton, DHA and Mauripur.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded significant rainfall totals across Karachi Division on April 2 as of 5 pm PST. Nazimabad (Paposh Nagar) received the highest accumulation at 69.6 millimetres, followed by Keamari at 56 mm and Saadi Town at 48 mm. The Met Complex on University Road recorded 44.2 mm and Bahria Town 43.5 mm.

Other affected stations included Orangi Town at 39.4 mm, Gulshan-e-Maymar at 36 mm, Jinnah Terminal and Surjani Town at 35 mm each, Korangi at 32.8 mm, DHA Phase II at 33 mm, MOS (Old Airport Area) at 32.6 mm, PAF Faisal Base on Shahrah-e-Faisal at 30.4 mm, PAF Masroor Base at Mauripur at 29 mm and North Karachi at 28.8 mm. Taiser Town recorded a maximum of 12.6 mm in an earlier spell, while Gulshan-e-Hadeed registered the least rainfall across the division at 17 mm.

Rainfall was reported across a wide spread of city localities, including Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Garden, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Saddar, Nazimabad, Buffer Zone, Site Area, North Karachi, Old City Area, Lyari and Keamari.

City authorities said they had taken preparatory measures ahead of the weather event. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) said its staff remained deployed in the field throughout the downpour, working to drain standing water, maintain cleanliness and keep traffic moving. Pumping machines were deployed at multiple locations to manage water accumulation.

KMC said drainage operations would be accelerated and rescue activities stepped up once the rain subsided. The corporation urged residents to contact its complaint cell or the relevant helplines of concerned agencies in the event of any emergency.

The same westerly wave is forecast to bring wind, thunderstorms and rain with moderate to heavy falls and isolated hailstorms to upper Sindh districts on Friday, including Larkana, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Kambar Shahdadkot, Sukkur, Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze, with occasional gaps expected through the day.

The met office has warned that windstorms, hailstorms and lightning could damage weak structures including electric poles, billboards and solar panels during the forecast period. Standing crops are also at risk from hail and strong winds, and farmers have been advised to manage their crops in accordance with the prevailing conditions.

Heavy rain could generate flash floods in local streams and nullahs, with urban flooding also possible in low-lying areas. Daytime temperatures are expected to dip across the affected regions during the forecast period.

In Karachi, Friday’s weather is expected to be partly cloudy with chances of light rain or drizzle. Maximum temperature is forecast at 29 Celsius with humidity at 85 percent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026