Karachi, PAKISTAN – The monsoon season has officially begun in Pakistan. After weeks of waiting in suspense for rain, it has finally arrived with a (literal) bang of thunder.
For some, the rain brings joy, and the opportunity to gorge on fried samosas and pakoray. For the rest, it brings hardship – and even death.
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Asha Rehmat, a domestic worker in Karachi told Youth Journalism International that she had a “bad experience” with the rains this year. Electricity in her neighborhood was off for almost three days straight, and there were massive leaks in her house.
“All of Karachi is drowning,” she said, adding that “this is what always happens (in the rains).”
More than happiness, the rain brings loss and damages, Rehmat said.
At least 400 people have been killed in floods across the country since 14th August, with the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan being particularly affected, according to Al-Jazeera news.
News organizations gave different figures for the number of dead in Karachi, but the toll seems to be about a dozen. Most people are primarily dealing with flooded homes and streets.
Early Tuesday morning, several school sports matches were underway at Karachi Grammar School, including netball, when the first light drizzle began. Initially, the students welcomed the rain, enjoying and continuing their games in the cool breeze.
But by the time the matches ended, the drizzle had turned into a heavier downpour, leaving students soaked, their uniforms and hair dripping wet.
The rain calmed for a brief moment, only to return again and again throughout the day in sudden bursts. By the end of the school day, the skies had grown so dark it looked like late evening. As the final bell rang, security guards at the school gate used megaphones to urge students to leave quickly before the storm worsened.
Everyone was drenched within seconds.
The journey home proved just as difficult. Traffic was at a standstill across major roads, with rising water levels posing a problem. What was usually a short ride stretched much longer as vehicles struggled to move through flooded streets.
Students were not the only ones affected. With most streets being flooded, everyone hurried home in efforts to avoid being stuck in the drain.
Forecasts predicted that the rain would continue for another few days at minimum.
Most students have not been to their schools physically since Tuesday, due to hazards from the rain showing little sign of lessening. Many are choosing to do online school – an optimistic view, considering the high chances of electricity being cut off.
Around the city, people are busy plugging leaks in their ceilings, placing towels beneath drips and praying this is not a repeat of the floods of 2022. That year, the floods were so severe that people have still not fully recovered from them. Cars floated away, roofs collapsed and homes and livelihoods were destroyed.
With floodwaters rising to chest height, pedestrians and bikers are essentially swimming through the streets. Even in cars, water seeps in on the floor.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, “torrential rains” are expected to continue until next week with few breaks in between.
According to Atiq Rehman, who works in drainage, the rains this year were less than previous years.
In 2022, Rehman said, urban flooding was worse in some parts of Karachi because municipal gutters in part of the city “were damaged, and had been closed.”
But this year, the drainage system has been repaired and is working better, according to Rehman.
He said this is because of newly installed gutters, and the usage of pumps which have drained most of the water.
The rainy season has only begun but already has been brutal. All Pakistanis can do is hope that they don’t get any worse.
Anya Farooqui is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International. Zara Irani is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International. They collaborated on this story.
