Pakistan's Sindh struggles with power cuts, waterlogging as heavy rainfall continues

Islamabad, Aug 21 (IANS) Torrential monsoon rains continue to batter Pakistan, leaving Sindh province and its capital Karachi grappling with power outages and waterlogging on Thursday.

The Pakistani officials warned that the next phase of the monsoon spells could bring even greater devastation, local media reported.

According to the Karachi Traffic Police, several roads remain submerged in rainwater, while the Korangi River and Causeway Road in the city remain shut to general traffic.

Residents in multiple areas of the city, including North Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Defence View, Orangi Town, Lyari, Baldia Town, Liaquatabad, Surjani, and Korangi Industrial Area, reported being without electricity for more than 24 to 48 hours.

Additionally, in some parts of Karachi, outages extended beyond 36 hours, leaving households without water.

At least 11 people were killed and 10 were injured in Karachi as of Wednesday, according to a report by the leading Pakistani media outlet, Dunya News.

Meanwhile, in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area, Block 8, residents staged a protest after enduring 32 hours without electricity, while in Block 2, the outage had persisted since Tuesday. Several parts of North Nazimabad reported blackouts for as long as 45 hours.

Similar complaints were recorded by locals in Hyderabad city, who stated that 90 per cent of Latifabad and Qasimabad were still without electricity, with delays in restoration stretching beyond seven hours, Pakistani media outlet Geo News reported.

Addressing a press conference following his visit to flood-affected parts of Karachi, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said that the electricity crisis had emerged as the city's major challenge.

He told reporters that in Surjani, many families had no choice but to sleep on rooftops as rainwater flooded their homes..

Tessori noted that Governor House's complaints cell had received over 11,000 complaints in a single day, the majority concerning power outages.

--IANS

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