Thundershowers will take place in Karachi during the next 24 hours, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast Saturday. Several areas in the city witnessed drizzle in the early hours of the day. In its daily forecast report, the department added that thundershowers would take place today and tomorrow (June 9) as well. Humidity in the air is at 79%, the PMD added. In light of the rains, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab Friday imposed a rain emergency in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. All the relevant departments of KMC will remain open 24 hours, including on holidays. Meanwhile, the heads of all departments related to rain emergencies have been instructed to be present in the offices along with their staff and to keep the necessary machinery and other necessary things ready.

 Meanwhile, more rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region, Punjab, east/northeast Balochistan, and Sindh during the next 12 hours. However, isolated heavy fall is also expected in northeast Punjab, Potohar region, Islamabad, Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast Balochistan, and central and lower Sindh during the period. As torrential monsoon rains grip Pakistan, at least 50 people — including eight children — have died in various rain-related incidents, officials said Friday.

Every year, between June and September, monsoon winds bring rains to South Asia, accounting for 70% to 80% of the region's annual rainfall. These monsoon rains are a mixed blessing for the region. On the one hand, they are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of around two billion people. On the other hand, they bring landslides and floods. "Fifty deaths have been reported in different rain-related incidents all over Pakistan since the start of the monsoon on June 25," a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) official told media, adding that 87 people were injured during this period.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP