KARACHI, September 8, 2025: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has sounded a high alert for Karachi and multiple districts of Sindh, warning of urban flooding, heavy rains, and strong winds as a fresh monsoon system deepens over the region.
According to PMD officials, a low-pressure system from India has intensified into a depression, triggering widespread rainfall. Beginning September 11, heavy showers with gusty winds are expected across Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Matiari, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, Jamshoro, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Sukkur, Jacobabad, and Ghotki.
Meteorologists cautioned that low-lying areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, and Sujawal may experience dangerous water accumulation, while Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tharparkar, Khairpur, Sukkur, and Larkana face a high risk of urban flooding.
At a press conference in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the provincial government was preparing contingency plans for water flows of up to 800,000 cusecs. “A flood surge of 700,000 cusecs is expected at Panjnad, while 217,000 cusecs may enter the Indus River from Taunsa,” he warned, adding that the peak water level at Guddu Barrage is expected on September 9.
Shah said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari were personally monitoring the situation, while many residents of flood-prone districts had already evacuated. “Karachi has received more rain than expected this year, but all departments and ministers are active, and the government is fully prepared,” he assured.
Meanwhile, India has formally notified Pakistan about the risk of high-level flooding in the Sutlej River after releasing additional water. Through diplomatic channels, New Delhi warned of a flood threat at Harike and Ferozepur, prompting Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources to alert 28 departments. The PDMA also expressed concern that further discharges from India could worsen the crisis.
The PMD upgraded its advisory to a formal warning late Sunday as the system over Rajasthan gained strength. Heavy to very heavy rain, along with strong winds, is forecast for Monday and Tuesday in Karachi and interior Sindh, raising risks of flooding and structural damage to rooftops, boundary walls, electric poles, and mud houses.
On Sunday, scattered downpours were reported in Scheme 33, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Bahria Town, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Kathore, and Super Highway, while overcast skies and dense clouds persisted across Karachi.
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said 133,887 people have so far been shifted from 167 union councils across 15 districts, with 5,830 evacuated in the last 24 hours. He added that 45,146 flood victims have received treatment at 158 medical camps, including 5,570 patients in the past 24 hours alone.
