Daily Times

Karachi has witnessed scorching temperatures this summer. On some days, the “Feels Like” temperature even reached a staggering 560C. This is certainly abnormal weather and made us wonder whether we experienced a heat wave or simply facing the brunt of climate change.

It must be mentioned that a hot day does not necessarily imply we are facing a heat wave. A heat wave is a meteorological definition and is officially declared when certain thresholds are met. It is defined as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year.” Nevertheless, the city faced some extraordinarily hot temperatures. We need to reevaluate whether Karachi is prepared for handling a heat wave emergency.

Speaking at the recently held ‘Safe Karachi’ conference, which focused on strengthening urban resilience, journalist and environment activist Afia Salam said that heat wave plan for Ahmedabad, India involved two Pakistani analysts as it was an international collaboration. A similar heat wave plan was made for Karachi, she said, but has not been implemented. It had different segments of the implementation plan, how and when will be response call be given and which institutions will be involved. In 2015, there were not many institutions, we should be better equipped now, she added.

The Karachi heat wave management plan suggested a three-tier alert system based on temperature forecasts.

In June 2015, Karachi experienced a severe heat wave crisis that caught all levels of government off-guard, highlighting the need for inter-agency coordination, clarity in roles, and a well-publicized trigger to activate a planned response. To address this need and to prevent health impacts from future heat waves as climate change intensifies, the authorities eventually developed the first heat wave management plan in 2017.

It has been several years and the heat wave management plan has still not been implemented. It is crucial to outline what should happen before, during and after periods of extreme heat in Karachi so that we are prepared in the eventuality of a crisis. There should be robust strategies that institutions should adopt and capacitate the public to take protective action. To achieve this, the public must be provided information on heat conditions potentially dangerous to health with sufficient lead time. The public, especially those most vulnerable to heat stress, must have the support to maintain their safety and wellbeing during extreme heat conditions.

The Karachi heat wave management plan suggested a three-tier alert system, based on temperature forecasts supplied by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), which has accurately predicted heat waves. Before the heat season, the authorities should launch a heat wave awareness campaign to disseminate public service messages. Communication strategies during the heat season will differ according to levels of alert. Such warning system will be easier to understand for the general public as a red alert will trigger a much stronger response.

It was observed that the heat wave crisis in 2015 was exacerbated by the lack of inter-agency coordination and unclear roles and responsibilities in the response effort. Therefore, it is imperative to improve coordination between stakeholders to strengthen disaster response mechanisms and avoid duplication of efforts and gaps in response.

This requires well-defined leadership by local government; appointment of an Emergency Response Coordinator to oversee implementation; forming a Heat Emergency Coordinating Committee with representation from government departments and social welfare agencies to review the heat wave plan. There should be a robust communications framework to ensure well-regulated information flow amongst agencies and effective and efficient delivery of public health messages.

Non-governmental organizations provided valuable resources and support during a health crisis. It is imperative to include social welfare organizations to reduce health impacts from heat wave. Therefore, before the next heat season, it is necessary to convene a dialogue with social welfare and other grassroots organizations to develop a community mobilization framework.

In the longer-term, we should incorporate strategies that focus on preparedness and response during the heat season. This includes incorporating changes in urban development, building design, building codes, energy, land use regulations, and transport policies to reduce the overall burden of heat.

One of the simplest solutions to reducing the urban heat island effect is to plant more trees and other vegetation. Regrettably, green belts and public parks are often the first victim of land-grabbing, encroachments and development projects. The relentless destruction of trees and vegetation has transformed the city into a barren concrete jungle. It is necessary to plan local variety of trees which have a positive effect on the city’s climate.

Soha Maktoom, associate director at the Karachi Urban Lab, said the city was vulnerable to two main disasters – urban flooding and heat waves – but is not resilient to the disasters it was facing. She said Katchi abadis (slum dwellings) are often blamed for encroachments but many commercial properties and government institutions are in the right of passage of storm water drains. Therefore, she stressed on identifying particular needs for Karachi and introducing it in the city’s master plan.

Afia Salam calls for a rethink as we cannot solve problems with temporary fixes. She recommends planting local variety of trees to improve the climatic conditions. It is also necessary to rehabilitate public parks. Sindh is the only province which has the urban forest policy embedded in the forestry policy. This should be implemented and resources utilized as to provide small ‘lungs’ to the city. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are the best way to resolve the city’s problems as the government doesn’t have the required resources. The people also need to own the city and work with the institutions.

The writer is a freelance columnist.