Heatwave in Karachi

That the temperature of Karachi shot up to 44 degrees Celsius on Thursday (May 3) doesn’t come as a surprise for residents who have been bearing the brunt of heatwave since 2015 – the year when Karachi was hit by the worst heatwave. In 2015, the change in weather patterns claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.

According to the Met department, the rising temperature will not go down until the next month. Amid such extreme conditions, persistent power outages by KE will further aggravate the situation. In some parts of Karachi, power remains out for more than 10 hours.

Only a couple weeks are left to Ramazan, how will people fast in such difficult conditions? It is sad to note that our policymakers and leaders remain unmoved. A heatwave coupled with power and water shortage could lead to a terrible situation. It is time the relevant authorities took strong action to overcome the effects of changing weather patterns.

Ravia Rasool

Karachi