A man was killed and three others were injured when the roof of a shop collapsed in Hyderabad’s Timber Market area as heavy rain caused urban flooding and brought civic life to a halt in the city on Monday, according to officials.
Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are also vital for agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people.
Market Police Station House Officer Munir Abbasi told Dawn.com, “A person from Moro died and three others were injured when the roof of a shop collapsed in the Timber Market area.”
A dust storm preceded rain in the city, Latifabad and Qasimabad. The Met Office recorded the speed of rainfall at 42 nautical miles per hour with 94 millimetres of rainfall in the city, while 56mm was recorded in Latifabad. However, the waterlogging situation remained equally bad in both areas, regardless of the different volumes of rainfall being recorded.
The inundation of major roads was worsened for the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (HW&SC) due to a massive power breakdown.
Rainfall began at around 4:20pm and continued till 6pm with moderate to high speed. People were seen wading through knee-deep rainwater on roads and streets in different areas while civic and district administration officials seemed to be struggling to cope with the situation.
District administration and civic bodies representatives were visiting various pumping stations to deal with the situation and ensure drainage of rainwater from the rain-affected areas, including the market’s roads and localities.
Met Office spokesperson Anjum Nazir Zaighum said that the rain was torrential in nature. There is a forecast of rain across Sindh for the next couple of days as well.
Accumulation of rainwater on roads led to traffic gridlock on main roads, including the Hyderabad-Latifabad flyover, and the underpass connecting the city with Latifabad remained completely closed due to stagnant rainwater there.
Shah Makki Road remained flooded as well. Resultantly, most vehicular traffic was seen on the Latifabad flyover. A long queue of vehicles could be seen up to Cantonment graveyard road.
The city remained without a power supply as Hesco claimed damage to its infrastructure. According to a statement from Hesco’s spokesman, four grid stations of the 132kV transmission system of the power utility were badly hit as towers connected with them fell due to rainfall.
It said the grid stations were connected with a 220kV circuit and that out of 152 feeders, only 12 were unaffected by the rain, while the rest of the 140 tripped. The spokesman said that 54 were later re-energised, and staff were inspecting others to bring them online again.
A huge tree fell on the transmission line at Fatima Jinnah Road, affecting the power supply. Major pumping stations of HW&SC, including Tulsi Das, which were dependent on Hesco’s system, remained without a power supply.
Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Shoro blamed Hesco’s power failure for the delay in the drainage of rainwater.
He said that only 30 per cent of sewerage facilities were now energised, but 70pc remained offline.
“I hope all entire rainwater will be drained out by tonight,” he said. He added that some pumping stations had received electricity, but faults were again reported, due to which they were shut down again for repair. He said that Tulsi Das, Aga Khan, Poly, LD1 pumping stations were major facilities that deal with the drainage of rainwater.
Sindh CM takes immediate action on flooding
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah closely monitored the situation in Hyderabad following heavy rains that caused a flooding-like situation in several areas, according to a press release by the CM’s Office.
He contacted the mayor to receive a detailed briefing on drainage efforts and directed urgent measures to expedite water removal. Due to power outages caused by HESCO feeder trips, pumping stations were temporarily shut down, hindering drainage operations.
The chief minister instructed Energy Minister Nasir Shah to coordinate with Hesco to restore electricity to the pumping stations immediately.
CM Murad emphasised the importance of restoring all major roads to ease public difficulties and called for all relevant departments, including district administrations, municipal bodies, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, traffic police and rescue services, to work in close coordination.
He stressed that public safety remained the government’s top priority and warned that any negligence would not be tolerated.
Additional precautionary steps were ordered, including keeping dewatering pumps and staff on alert in low-lying areas, placing warning boards near electrical hazards, maintaining 24-hour control rooms, and ensuring timely public information through media channels.
The chief minister also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during the rains and cooperate with authorities to mitigate risks.
“Sindh’s government continues to take all possible measures to minimise disruption caused by the monsoon rains and safeguard the lives and property of its residents,” the press release said.
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July 15, 2025 at 12:02AM