Ongoing heatwave expected to last six more days

As the mercury soared to 39 degrees Celsius on Friday amid prolonged power outages and water scarcity, the Met office warned of yet another heatwave in the city with temperatures expected to remain between 40 and 43 degrees Celsius for the next six days and no sea breeze.

This is the second heatwave alert issued this month. On May 3, the city endured its hottest day of the year when the temperature reached 44 degrees Celsius during a brief spell of very hot and dry weather. Met department officials predicted that the temperature will remain over 40 degrees for at least five to six days, starting Saturday (today).

“A wide low pressure area has formed again in upper Sindh, which has changed the wind direction in Karachi,” Karachi Met Office Director Abdur Rashid told The News on Friday. “Wind is now blowing from north-westerly direction, cutting-off the sea breeze and turning Karachi’s pleasant weather very hot and dry.”

According to Rashid, Ramazan had started with rain and pleasant weather in the northern part of the country, but people in the south were experiencing the exact opposite. He said the first 8 to 10 days of Ramazan would be tough for Karachiites as there will be no sea breeze and warm winds will blow from the plains.

Rashid said that the prevailing heatwave is different than the one in 2015 when a depression in the Arabian Sea had deprived Karachi of its sea breeze and due to a rise in humidity levels, the heat index increased and people started dying due to dehydration and heat stroke. The devastating heatwave of 2015 claimed more than 1,200 lives that year.

“People are advised not to venture out in the day and get dehydrated by walking or working under the sun,” he said. “Those fasting should drink plenty of water during Iftar and Sahar time to maintain their electrolyte balance.”

Miseries compounded

Despite the heatwave warning by the Met department and requests to utilities for uninterrupted power and water supply, announced and unannounced outages by the K-Electric continued. The miseries of residents were further compounded as many areas faced outages lasting from 10 to 12 hours in the day while they were fasting. The outages caused water shortages in many areas where people remained unable to perform ablutions for prayers.

K-E also announced to carry out three spells of load-shedding in areas which were earlier declared “load-shedding free zones” due to 100 percent recovery. Residents of these localities would have to endure at least three hours of load-shedding.

Caution advised

Health experts have urged people to remain cautious and vigilant in this weather and urged them not to venture outside unnecessarily during the day.

Separate press advisories by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) urged people to drink plenty of water, juices and Lassi during the hours between Iftar and Sahar, avoid direct sunlight and fried food items, and wear light coloured clothes.

They also urged the government to ensure that people have uninterrupted supply of water and electricity in Karachi during the month of Ramzan.