The dead included two police officers and two political activists.
One person was shot dead in the city’s North Nazimabad area on Thursday, whereas another person was gunned down in Karachi’s Pak Colony area.
An activist from a religious party was shot dead in the city’s Nankwara area.
Moreover, unknown gunmen shot dead a Sub-Inspector and his son in the city’s North Karachi neighbourhood.
Another person was gunned down in the Nazimabad area.
On Wednesday, an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was killed near PIDC.
A body was also recovered from the city’s Gulistan-i-Johar area and another body was found in a shop on the Abul Hasan Isphahani road.
Also on Wednesday, six persons, including a police officer, were killed in firing in the Karimabad, Orangi Town and other areas of the city.
“More than a hundred thousand (have) been displaced. Not only houses, but boats were also found in pieces (in the affected areas, and) crops are completely washed away,” Giuliano said.
Jam Saifullah Dharejo, the provincial irrigation minister said: “The burst in the lake has affected a large population in Jamshoro district, but we cannot estimate the exact number of people affected, they are in thousands.”
“Sindh continues to host the largest number of flood-displaced people, in addition to experiencing the worst of the current flooding,” a UN statement said separately.
The UN estimates that there are currently 1.2 million people in 6,300 camps and settlements across Pakistan with more than 80 per cent of them in Sindh.
KARACHI: At least nine people were killed in incidents of violence in Karachi on Monday. 
Security officials followed one of the gunmen, who fled to nearby Jodia Bazaar and killed himself. One hand grenade was recovered from his possession, while search teams have been sent to other areas to locate the remaining gunmen.
The four escaped prisoners were identified as Murad, Wazir, Miskeen and Murtaza, and were brought to the courts of the judicial magistrate south.
Two people were also injured as a result of the attack and have been shifted to Civil Hospital.
PAKISTAN (KARACHI): The recent rains in the coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh failed to bring about a change in the water level in the Hub dam water reservoir except for a couple of inches, Hub Dam officials told The News on Monday.Tropical cyclone Phet brought massive rains in its wake on the Balochistan coast as well as areas near Karachi but Wapda officials said it did not contribute to an increase in the water level in the Hub dam which is rapidly reaching the dead level.Around 100 million gallons of water is supplied to Karachi and 60-70 million gallons to Lasbela district of Balochistan every day from the Dam, located on the borders of Sindh and Balochistan whose catchment area is spread over 3000 kilometres in both the provinces.Hub Dam officials said they had declared a state of emergency at the reservoir after tropical cyclone warning by the meteorological department although no direct warning was issued to Hub Dam administration for emergency arrangements.They said all the dam officials, including the Superintendent Engineer, Saleem Qureshi, and his staff, were at the reservoir since Saturday and monitoring changes, if any, occurring in the water level while staff were also posted on canals supplying water to Karachi and Balochistan.The dam officials were also in touch with the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Balochistan Irrigation Department officials and were closely monitoring both the canals in case of any increase in the water level in either or both the canals, they maintained.Villages and localities near the dam, especially those which were near the spillway, were warned to remain ready for evacuation in any emergency but things didn’t come to that pass, they further said.Dam officials said although they were not expecting any contribution to water level in the reservoir, they had made all the arrangements to mitigate any untoward situation and added that no significant change in water level was observed after 24 hours of the rains.“Water level in the dam has increased a mere two inches, which is hardly a day’s water for both Karachi and Lasbela district of Balochistan” the SDO, Hub Dam, Ahmed, told The News.Ahmed said they were expecting rains in July and August under the influence of easterly monsoon winds and hoped that dam would be recharged for supplying water to Karachi and Balochistan for next couple of years.Currently, the water level in the dam hovers around 291 ft. while the dam’s dead level is at 274 ft., SDO Ahmed said, adding that nearly two months’ water had been left in the reservoir for both Karachi and Lasbela district, Balochistan.Hub dam officials complain that at a time when the Pakistan Meteorological Department officials regularly issue weather advisories for other provinces and major water reservoirs, they hardly issue any warning or weather advisory regarding rains under the influence of easterly winds in Balochistan.Rains in Sindh and Punjab in the monsoon season are normally caused by the westerly winds but in Balochistan, it is the easterly winds that cause rains and often these rains lash Balochistan areas in the form of flashfloods, causing serious devastation due to floods in Nullahs and seasonal rivers.“Actually, easterly winds are responsible for rains in most of Balochistan, especially in over 3000 square kilometres of the area that supply water to our reservoir but unfortunately, the Met hardly ever intimates us about weather pattern or expected rainfall in the catchment area of the province” an official of the dam told The News.He disclosed that a Met observatory was established near Hub dam to monitor weather pattern and record annual rainfall but for the last several years, it was lying abandoned as nobody ever came there to perform his duties.Same is the situation of another observatory established near Winder Nullah in Balochistan where a small dam is being constructed by the Wapda, the official said, adding that it was also lying abandoned for the last many years since the retirement of a lone Met office employee many years back.“If we get regular weather warnings and reports about rainfall in our catchment area, our preparations for an expected flood-like situation would be more effective and managing water arrival in the dam would be a lot easier” he maintained.
Heavy rains expected as Phet approaches Karachi.
As the tropical cyclone Phet is set to hit the Karachi’s coastline on Sunday (today), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of very heavy rains with dust storm in the coming two days, ringing alarm bells for the city dwellers. Earlier on Saturday, the cyclonic storm caused very heavy rainfall at the Balochistan coastal belt, causing destruction of infrastructure and houses especially in low-lying areas. According to the PMD’s latest cyclone warning issued on Saturday night, after passing along the Makran coast the storm was just 325 kilometres away from Karachi’s coastline. The PMD said that gusty winds up to 100 kilometres per hour (54 knots) could lash the city at the time of landfall of the cyclonic storm. The associated storm surge near the landfall coastal areas could be up to four metres. On June 23, 2007, when massive dust storm lashed the city, winds with 60 nautical miles per hour had lashed the city. After evacuations from two other coastal districts of Sindh i.e. Thatta and Badin, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had launched evacuation operations from costal villages and islands near Karachi on Saturday. The PDMA officials said that with tropical cyclone with its lessening intensity and decreased threat of storm surge at the Karachi’s coastline, there was no immediate need of evacuations from the posh areas of DHA and Clifton situated near the Karachi costal belt. There are reports that several DHA and Clifton residents have relocated themselves to the houses of their friends and relatives in safer areas in the city in order to avoid any disastrous situation of the storm surge.Chief Meteorologist in Karachi Muhammad Riaz told The News at 10pm on Saturday the intensity of the tropical cyclone in the north Arabian Sea had decreased to category 1 and in the next 12 hours it would make its landfall somewhere at the coastline near Karachi.He said that very heavy rains accompanied with dust storm could lash the city with the landfall of the storm system whose effects on the land areas could linger for next 24 hours. PDMA (Sindh) chief Muhammad Sualeh Ahmed Faruqui said that there was no immediate and clear threat of storm surge in the coastal areas of Sindh except the coastal belt areas where the storm would make its landfall on Sunday. He said that all evacuation and safety arrangements in coastal and low-lying areas of Thatta, Badin and Karachi, had been finalised to avoid any eventuality. The PMD’s cyclone warning issued at 9 pm on Saturday said: “Tropical cyclone has moved eastwards in last six hours along Makran coast and now located at 24N and 62.2E South of Pasni about 325 km from Karachi. “The system is likely to move eastwards during next 12 hours, expected to weaken before making landfall somewhere near Karachi on Sunday (with maximum sustained winds 60 to 80 km/hour gusting to 100 km/hour) with associated storm surge of 2 to 4 meters.“Under the influence of this system, extremely heavy rainfall is occurring over coastal areas of Balochistan (Gawadar 370 millimetres, Jiwani 208 mm, Pasni 139 mm, Turbat 63 mm, Ormara 60 mm) accompanied with very strong wind gusting to 120 km/hour.“More rains heavy to very heavy accompanied with strong gusty winds are expected in Balochistan especially in its coastal areas during the next 24 hours. Sindh is also expected to receive widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall during the next two days starting from Saturday night and gradually increasing afterwards. Heavy rains may cause urban / flash flooding in Balochistan and Sindh, including Karachi.”Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department recorded 29.5 degrees and 35.0 degrees Celsius as minimum and maximum temperatures, respectively, with 59 per cent humidity in the city on Saturday. Maximum wind speed in the city remained 20 knots. The Met office has forecast cloudy weather with chances of dust/thunder storm with rain, as maximum temperature could range between 35 degrees to 37 degrees Celsius.
Pakistani Mounted Policemen patrol on horseback at the popular Seaview Beach in Karachi on June 4, 2010. Pakistan issued a danger warning on June 4 over Cyclone Phet, which may hit the coast packing winds of 120 kilometres an hour, as relief workers were on standby to evacuate residents forcibly if needed.
He stated that 70 per cent of the population along the coastal belt had been moved to safer places and camps.
“No more fishermen in the turbulent waters. There are reports about some missing boats, but in total about eight boats are missing,” he added.
He also said that Cyclone Phet was losing intensity, however, heavy rains could wreak havoc at Sindh shores.
Earlier authorities in coastal regions of Pakistan are preparing for high winds and possible flooding and destruction from an approaching tropical storm.
The National Disaster Management Authority had said Saturday that 7,000 people had been moved to safety from low-lying areas close to the southern city of Karachi.
Tropical Storm Phet, downgraded from a cyclone, hit Oman on Friday, killing 12 people and causing heavy rains and winds.
The meteorological office said the storm is expected to make landfall in Pakistan early Sunday with winds of up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour. About 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) of coastline could be affected.
The weather had already affected Pakistanis as 20 peoples had been killed due to torrential rains and winds in Baluchistan, Sindh and Punjab.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Cyclone Warning Center, the direction of the cyclone was towards the north-east, which is the location between Karachi and Pasni.
The center informed all the provincial authorities about the effects of the cyclone.
Pakistan Navy, provincial departments and other bodies were on high alert.
Also on Saturday, sever rains with gusty winds were reported in Balochistan and Punjab. Thirty people were also injured as a result of those.
Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Aslam Raisani immediately released Rs.50 million for any possible emergency which could be caused by Cyclone Phet.
Pasni, Gwadar and other coastal areas have reported having no electricity due to heavy rains. High tides have also been observed in the Jiwani waters.
A major cyclone was closing in on Pakistan's coastline, where the president ordered immediate precautionary measures and around 60,000 residents were being evacuated Thursday, officials said.Tens of thousands were being evacuated from vulnerable coastal villages in the southern province of Sindh and another half a million could be affected in Balochistan province if Cyclone Phet smashes into Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari ordered the military and government to take “immediate precautionary measures” as the tropical cyclone approached.
“Cyclone Phet has almost reached the Oman coast and could recurve towards Pakistan's coastline of Balochistan and Sindh in the next 24-36 hours,” Naeem Shah, a meteorological department official, told AFP.
Hospitals have been put on alert, medicine and equipment stockpiled, while tinned rations and clothes are being arranged, authorities said.
Forecasters warned the cyclone could uproot power and communication lines along the coast but believed there would be less impact on Karachi.
The cyclone was packing winds of 150 kilometres (90 miles) an hour but was likely to lessen by the time it reaches Pakistan.
Authorities in Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, said they have evacuated around 60,000 people from coastal villages, where poor infrastructure and communications make them vulnerable to storms.
“We have shifted them to hundreds of relief camps established in school buildings in the area,” said Munir Memon, a senior official in the provincial relief commission.
“We have a better infrastructure and improved health facilities in Karachi which makes the city much safer from such catastrophes,” he said.
Pakistan's meteorological department has predicted heavy rainfall and strong winds along the coast over the next three days.
Forecasters say seas will be stormy and Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency said it had ordered all boats to remain in harbours.
In Balochistan, the head of the southwestern province's disaster management authority, said 500,000 people in coastal towns are under threat from the cyclone.
“The authority has taken all precautionary measures to deal with the situation and to evacuate people to areas at least 10 kilometres (six miles) away from the sea in case the cyclone hits,” said Mohammad Hassan Baloch.
In Karachi, the Maritime Security Agency dispatched speed boats to several dozen fishing boats that were at sea and oblivious of the warnings, spokesman Shakil Ahmed said.
The fishermen organisation said that over 170 fishing boats with 5,000-6,000 fishermen on board were still in the sea and a search operation would be launched on Thursday with the help of the navy.
Pakistan Navy released a press note to warn the fishermen and coastal areas inhabitants that the storm will hit Pakistani shores on June 7 and 8.
It also stated that Sea King helicopters and frigates are on high alert for search and rescue operations, while two helicopters are continuously in air to observe the situation.
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