Tragic rain

That twenty people perished in Karachi on Tuesday and Wednesday as a result of rain that lasted barely fifteen minutes in most parts of the city is, by now, a familiar kind of tragedy — and that familiarity is itself the indictment. The westerly wave sent winds howling at 97 kilometres per hour through Mauripur and 90 along Sharea Faisal. It is not as though the storm arrived without warning. PMD had issued a forecast well in advance, and the government acted on it. Electricity supply was suspended across large parts of the city as a precaution and the chief minister placed municipal bodies on high alert.

These were reasonable steps, and they deserve acknowledgement. But when all of that still cannot prevent 20 deaths from a brief pre-season westerly wave, the question becomes about why Karachi’s infrastructure remains so broken that even a routine spell of rain is enough to kill. If a small duration of rain can trigger fatal collapses and urban paralysis, then the issue is not the intensity of the rain but the fragility of the city. Years of unchecked construction, encroachments and substandard civic maintenance have created a disaster waiting to happen.

Karachi must move beyond temporary fixes and adopt a comprehensive urban resilience strategy. This includes overhauling drainage systems through permanent clearing of encroachments and ensuring year-round maintenance. Building codes must be strictly enforced, with unsafe structures and billboards removed and regulatory authorities held accountable. The electricity network requires urgent reforms to eliminate exposed wiring and prevent electrocution without widespread outages. A coordinated emergency response system, with clear communication and pre-deployed teams, is also essential.

Crucially, these measures must be backed by institutional accountability through regular audits and penalties, alongside sustained investment in climate-resilient urban planning to prevent recurring tragedies.