Daily Times

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its fresh weather advisory issued on Friday evening said that a severe heat spell was set to begin in the city starting Saturday.

It said that the spell would last till next Wednesday and its impact would escalate, as the sea breeze was likely to remain cut-off during these days.

Earlier, on Thursday, the PMD had warned that Karachi would be hit by a heatwave on Saturday.

“Hot to very hot weather is likely to prevail in Karachi during next 5-6 days and maximum temperature is expected to remain in the range of 40-43 degree Celsius during this period,” read the advisory, adding that the sea breeze was likely to remain cut-off and wind from north-west was expected to prevail during this period.

The advisory, signed by Zafar Mahmood, the assistant meteorologist and the duty forecasting officer at Met Office, Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, further said that during the heatwave, the day temperature was likely to remain between 40 and 43 degree Celsius during the next five and six days (till Wednesday) in Karachi.

“The authorities have to ensure adequate supply of power and water, so that the situation may not aggravate for the public,” the advisory warned the authorities.

It further said that on Saturday (today) the mercury was expected to reach up to 41-43 degree Celsius, with humidity levels at around 40-50 percent in the morning, but it would fall to around 15-25 percent in the evening. On Sunday, the temperature is expected to reach up to 40-42 degree Celsius, with humidity level at around 40-50 percent in the morning, but it would fall to around 15-25 percent in the evening.

Followed by the PMD’s fresh advisory, Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar issued a high alert directive to the administration of all Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) hospitals and Rescue 1122 ambulance services. “Any negligence in this regard will not be tolerated, all doctors, paramedical staff ensured their presence on their duty during the heat wave and attend to patients suffered from it,” said the notification.

The directives further said that due to raise in temperature and absence of sea breeze, all possible precautionary measures must be taken.

“Utility services providers like K-Electric and KWSB should ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity and water to citizens so they could be saved from further trouble in hot weather,” the mayor appealed to the departments concerned.

All major KMC hospitals and Rescue 1122 ambulance services would work around-the-clock and focal persons in hospitals would submit daily reports to the senior director of health and medical services at KMC.

On the other hand, the Medical and Health Services Department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has also declared a heat-wave alert in KMC hospitals, all over Karachi, while Rescue 1122 ambulance service would remain on standby during heatstroke emergencies.

“As per directives, there is a predication of a heat wave in Karachi in the coming days, therefore, a high alert has been declared with immediate effect in all major health facilities,” reads the alert, issued by the KMC’s Medical and Health Services Department.

According to the authorities, KMC has set up a 50 bed heatstroke centre at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, 10 bed centre in Sarfraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital, 10 bed centre in Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, 10 bed centre at Landhi Medical Centre, 16 bed facility in Spencer Eye Hospital, 10 bed facility at Landhi Cardiac Centre and a 12 bed facility at Primary Healthcare Centre, Lyari.

Heatstroke centres are also operational at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and other hospitals of Karachi after increase in temperature levels in the city that are likely to continue in the upcoming days.

In 2015, Karachi was hit by one of world’s deadliest heatwaves that killed over 1,200 people and left around 40,000 with heatstroke and heat fatigues, however, independent sources said that the number of deaths were much more than the official count. Faisal EDhi, head of Edhi Foundation, estimated that there were more than 15,000 casualties in the city.

According to experts, a heatwave alert is when the city witnesses temperatures five degree Celsius above average levels for more than five continuous days. Since Karachi is a coastal city, it gets sea breeze around the clock that helps the city cool down during intense heat spells. But if the Arabian Sea also witnesses air depression, than the sea breeze to city cuts off and makes the heatwave deadly.

Pakistan is sixth worst victim to climate change and several international bodies have warned that Pakistan will be hit by deadly heatwaves in the coming years. With increasing population and rising number of vehicles, massive cutting of urban forest and massive use of concrete along with acute water shortage and prolonged power cuts, Karachi is more vulnerable to heatwaves in the near future.

The change in weather conditions, according to Dr Qamar-Uz-Zaman Chaudhry, the special advisor at the World Meteorological Organisation, is due to the presence of air depression over the Arabian Sea that cuts off the incoming sea breeze to Karachi. “This high air pressure, prevailing over Balochistan and parts of Sindh, is further exacerbated by clear skies that make the air warmer and more stagnant,” says Chaudhry.

“In mega cities, more building and homes are constructed every day to cater to the rising population, so more buildings, roads and pavement areas are less reflective as compared to large wetlands and lakes. The dense concrete material that is used to build these infrastructures absorbs more heat and radiation from the Sun and stores the heat within,” says Nadeem Mirbahar, an expert at the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management.

Published in Daily Times, May 19^th 2018.