Peshawar: This Al Jazeera video, which shows men digging trenches in a graveyard under a blazing sun, says Pakistan is digging graves in an anticipation of deaths from the looming heatwave, given that meteorologists have predicted that 2016 is set to be the hottest year ever recorded globally.
Last year, more than 1,300 people died of intense heat, with mortuaries running out of space and bodies decaying for want of graves. The provinces are bracing themselves for a repeat of a situation that caught them unawares last year. As elsewhere in the country, emergency response services have been mobilised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to keep casualties from heatwave at minimum.
“We have issued essential supplies and emergency kits to our centres in Peshawar and Mardan to stay prepared for the hot weather ahead,” said Emergency Rescue Service (ERS) 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi here at the ERS Headquarters.
According to ERS Director General Asad Ali Khan, with Ramazan approaching and the Pakistan Metrological department (PMD) forecasting hot and humid weather in coming weeks, ERS had established special units to facilitate public with cases of heatstroke.
The US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which observes weather patterns, has said that April was warmest month ever on record, making 2016 to be the hottest year yet and by a biggest margin ever. April’s land and sea temperatures at 1.11°C is warmer than average April temperatures between 1951 to 1980, which NASA uses as a standard reference point to study recent climate change.
In Pakistan, the heatwave experienced this year has surpassed the country’s own record of high temperature. In 2010, Pakistan had its hottest temperature in history on May 26, when the mercury hit an astonishing 53.5°C at the town of Mohenjudaro in the southern Sindh province.
According to Weather Underground, the 53.5°C reading was the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan and the hottest reliably measured temperature ever recorded on the continent of Asia. On May 1, 2016, temperature recorded in Larkana in Sindh was 54°C, indicating a new record.
Although there is no reliable data available, media reports have consistently reported deaths every year in Pakistan due to heatstroke. “Heatstroke is a condition caused by body overheating, mostly due to prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures,” Dr Tahira Mufti, who runs her private clinic in Peshawar, told News Lens Pakistan.
She said heatstroke could occur if body temperature rose to 40°C or higher. Heatstroke can quickly damage brain, heart, kidneys and muscles, she added. The damage worsens, she said, if treatment is delayed, increasing risk of serious complications or even death.
Dr Tahira said that there was lack of awareness among public regarding how to provide first aid to heatstroke patients. Due to this, every year many people who could easily be saved through first aid die on the way to hospital.
“Symptoms of heatstroke include rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting, an absence of perspiration despite the heat, a racing heart rate, headache, dizziness and flushed skin.”
Causes of heatstroke, she said, were exposure to hot and humid weather or environment, strenuous activity, wearing excess clothing, dehydration and drinking alcohol that could affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Doctors recommend that in case of heatstroke, patients should be immediately removed to a cool shady place, cooled off with damp sheets, given a cool shower and rehydrated.
“Take immediate action to cool the overheated person while waiting for emergency treatment,” said Dr Tahira. “But prevention is better than cure. Heatstroke could be avoided with a care.”
As for the hot month of Ramazan ahead, the doctor suggests, people should avoid eating greasy food, wear light clothes and keep their heads covered outdoors. Tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks should be avoided as these are diuretics that dehydrate the body.
This article originally appeared in News Lens and has been reproduced with permission