A city under water

This monsoon has turned out to be too cruel for Karachi. There have been spells after spells of heavy cloudburst, leading to numerous lives lost, a large number of people marooned, properties both private and public damaged, and businesses missed. August, in particular, has been unusually harsh. According to weathermen, downpours in August have shattered 89-year-old records for Karachi. Some 484mm of rain has fallen on the city during the month so far, including 223.5mm in just 12 hours on Thursday alone — the highest amount of rain ever recorded in a single day in the city. The previous 24-hour record was on July 26, 1967, when 211.3mm was recorded at Masroor base.