Fresh heatwave bakes Karachi

Karachi
Karachi turned into the second hottest place in the country following Turbat on Saturday, as the mercury hit 42.7 degrees Celsius and the heat index – the temperature felt by the skin - touched 47 degrees Celsius, forcing many citizens to stay indoors during daytime.
Although health authorities said no deaths were reported at public or private hospitals, there were unconfirmed that two elderly people had died of heat stroke on the streets.
The Regional Meteorological Centre Karachi forecast “hot to very hot” weather in Karachi on Sunday (today) with the temperature expected to range between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius.
Ten people were hospitalised after suffering sunstroke, three were admitted to the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, three to the Qatar Hospital in Orangi Town, two to the Lyari General Hospital and one each to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
However, the health authorities said all of them were discharged after treatment.
“No person died of heatstroke in Karachi today,” said Dr Zafar Aijaz, the city’s health director.
He added that the health authorities had prepared themselves to deal with an emergency situation after intense heat was forecast in the city.
“We had declared an emergency at public hospitals, but there weren’t many heatstroke patients.”
Health experts advised citizens to take precautionary measures to prevent heat stroke and avoid unnecessarily travelling outdoors.
A severe heatwave had swept Karachi in June this year during which around 1,500 people had died of heat-related complications in just five or six days. The temperature had reached 46 degrees Celsius as the sea breeze in the city that keeps it cool was blocked by a weather system in the Arabian Sea. The large number of deaths was attributed to humidity and the heat index that had touched 49 degrees Celsius.
Dr Aijaz said doctors and paramedics at public hospital were told to remain on duty and ensure they had adequate medical supplies including medicines, ice, water and drips, etc in case of a heatwave emergency.
Dr. Seemin Jamali, the joint executive director at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, said her hospital had made special arrangements to handle heatstroke cases.
She advised citizens to drink plenty of water, avoid going out into the sun as much as possible and wear light and loose clothing on Sunday.
“When going out, citizens should keep their heads covered and carry a wet towel as well,” she added.

Depression over Indian coast
Meteorologists said a low pressure had formed in the Bay of Bengal and turned into a depression over central India. They added that now it was near the coastal areas of India, adjacent to Sindh’s coastal belt, and had blocked Karachi’s sea breeze and the blowing of north-westerly winds or dry winds from Balochistan that were warmer with lesser humidity, increasing the temperature in the city.
Regional Meteorological Centre Karachi director Abdur Rashid said as the sea breeze had been blocked by the depression, Karachi’s temperature had reached 42.7 degree Celsius but as the humidity was less than 26 percent, the heat index had remained within tolerable limits.
He added that the weather in Karachi would remain a similar on Sunday with the temperature ranging between 41 and 43 degrees Celsius
On Monday, the temperature will be around 40 degrees Celsius. “The temperature will start decreasing from Monday night,” he said.
Turbat was the warmest place in Pakistan where the temperature reached 46 degrees Celsius.
Rashid said there were no chances of rain in Karachi because of the current weather system on the coastal belt of India but it might cause moderate rains in the upper and central parts of the province.