The unprecedented rains in Karachi have wreaked havoc in the metropolitan city which could affect the country’s exports in August due to the delay in export consignments.
This was stated by Advisor to Prime Minister on Trade Abdul Razak Dawood on Wednesday.
The minister tweeted:
It appears that because of the heavy rains, particularly in Karachi, our export consignments are being delayed and hence our exports for the month of August may be affected.
The advisor said that the exporters facing difficulties “May please be brought to the notice of the Ministry of Commerce.”
The development comes after heavy rain began pounding the city early Tuesday morning and continued till evening as storm drains and dozens of other choked drains overflowed, flooding almost all the main roads and streets in the city, preventing people from reaching workplaces, drowning parked cars and motorcycles, and flooding houses with sewage-mixed rainwater in low-lying areas of Karachi.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the areas adjoining PAF Faisal and Gulshan-e-Hadeed received the heaviest showers under the strong monsoon system over vast areas of Sindh and Balochistan.
Karachi has received record-breaking rains in the current month so far and after Tuesday’s unprecedented spell, now 345 millimeters of rain was recorded at the PAF Faisal Base, while previously 298.4mm of rain was recorded in 1984, adding on that the Masroor Base received 271mm and Karachi Airport got 241mm rain this year, which is 300 to 400 times more than average rainfall in Karachi in August.