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After Karachi nearly drowned on Tuesday, with roads turned into rivers, flights disrupted, and at least 14 lives lost in rain-related incidents, some continued to treat the downpour as an “adventure” — heading out for drives and posting about their rainy escapades online.

In light of the situation, activist Shaniera Akram took to her Instagram stories to share videos people posted of being stuck in flooded areas with waist-high water in their cars. Saddened, she initially lashed out, “Soooo sad! If I see another person in Karachi enjoying the rain when so many are suffering, I will call it ‘very insensitive’!”

In a follow-up story, she elaborated, “First, think of every family that saved up for a car and has no insurance, then every food delivery guy who can’t work, every shopkeeper or market cart who can’t open, every kid that can’t get to school and every home that’s been destroyed! Then post a pic about how nice the rain is!“

But many misread her frustration as hostility towards rain itself, or those who were simply trying to make the best of a bad situation.

For them, Akram shared another Instagram story to clarify that “rain is beautiful, but it has to have somewhere to go”. She added, “I just get so upset by how much Karachi suffers every year because the city turns into a river. It ruins everything; people’s whole lives are destroyed. Then the aftermath of bacteria, sickness and mosquito-borne disease comes to take over.”

Akram stressed the importance of sensitivity when so many have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones. “Please be mindful, take caution when you go out in the rain, and be aware that so many are affected by these floods. When you drive your car out in the flood to just get a selfie, it’s insensitive to the people who have actually lost theirs.”

In another story, she drove her point home with a warning against unnecessary risks — “If you can’t swim, don’t go out in the rain and certainly don’t do it for a selfie. Stay indoors, be safe or enjoy the rain safely without having to have the authorities rescue you as well!”

A day of rain caused Karachi’s fragile infrastructure to collapse, leaving citizens stranded for hours and forcing the provincial government to announce a public holiday on Wednesday. While climate change has worsened the intensity of rains across the country — killing hundreds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir since June — Karachi’s yearly flooding points to chronic urban neglect, from dysfunctional drainage systems to poor waste management.

As the city reels from disaster caused by rain, which in ordinary circumstances would be a blessing, Akram’s request to be a little considerate isn’t unfounded. It’s simple — enjoy the rain if you like, and if you can afford to, but not at the cost of safety, common sense, or empathy for those who are suffering.