All public and private schools and colleges in Karachi will remain closed today as heavy rains have left parts of the city waterlogged, the Sindh Education Department announced.
Power was nearly restored across the city, and only a few roads had remained inundated after Tuesday’s heavy downpour before a late evening spell of heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds on Wednesday interrupted Karachiites’ hopes for a quick return to normalcy.
The Sindh government had ordered all private and public educational institutions across the city to remain closed on Wednesday, after Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab declared a rain emergency.
Notifications issued on Wednesday by the Sindh government’s college and school education departments stated that schools will remain closed today due to the heavy rain. The notices are available with Dawn.com.
The government notified that the closure will apply to all private and public institutions in Karachi division, which are under the administrative control of the Sindh government’s College Education Department and School Education and Literacy Department.
Later on Wednesday night, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) also issued a notification stating it would remain closed today due to heavy rainfall in the metropolis.
“All scheduled examinations stand postponed. The revised dates will be announced in due course of time through official notification,” the notice, available with Dawn.com, read.
“However, the services of Dow Diagnostic Reference and Research Laboratory, Dow Institute of Radiology, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan Institute of Blood Diseases, Dow University Hospital, Ojha Campus, Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre, Dow University Road (NIPA Hospital) and Dow International Dental College Hospital (Gulistan-i-Johar) shall continue to operate as per the holiday roster, ensuring the continuation of essential services and rain-emergency duties.”
The notification added that postgraduate trainees at Dr Ruth KM Pfau, Civil Hospital, Karachi and Dow University Hospital would follow the holiday roster.
Three children were among four more people killed in rain-related incidents in Karachi on Wednesday evening, raising the death toll to 14 as the metropolis was lashed with heavy rainfall for a second consecutive day.
By 8pm, Orangi Town had recorded the heaviest showers, receiving 37 millimetres in total from the two spells. The PAF Faisal Base on Sharea Faisal followed with 32mm, while Jinnah Terminal measured 18mm. Keamari received 13mm, and the Airport Old Area saw 11mm of rainfall. Other parts of the city experienced lighter showers, including Korangi with 6.8mm, the Met Office station on University Road with 7.6mm, Nazimabad with 2mm, the PAF Masroor Base in Karachi West with 2mm, and Surjani Town with 1.8mm. Several areas, such as Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Saadi Town, and Bahria Town, recorded negligible or no rain during this period.
