Pakistan’s heatwave ‘intensifies’ since May 23rd – Chief Meteorologist
KARACHI: Pakistan’s chief meteorologist has warned that a heat wave is expected to hit parts of the country from Monday onwards and will “intensify” from May 23 onwards in the South Asian country on the brink of climate change.
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warned last Thursday that temperatures could soar to 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Pakistan’s southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces between May 15 and May 30. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Sunday warned of an “intense” heat wave in southern districts of Punjab, including Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, from May 21 to May 27. Serious danger has been identified in Multan district.
Heat waves that occur in summer are caused by slow-moving high pressure systems that cause high temperatures to persist for long periods of time. The World Meteorological Organization defines a heat wave as five consecutive days in which the daily maximum temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by 5 °C (9 °F) or more.
“Heatwave is expected in Sindh province except Karachi and the plains of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from today,” Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz, chief meteorologist at the Meteorological Department, told Arab News.
“The maximum temperature is expected to remain 4 to 6 degrees higher than average until May 22nd, and from the 23rd onwards, it is expected to become even stronger, reaching 6 to 8 degrees higher than average,” he said, urging the public to be cautious.
Pakistan experienced its first severe heatwave in June 2015, when temperatures as high as 49 degrees Celsius hit the southern part of the country, killing around 2,000 people from dehydration and heatstroke. That year alone, a heatwave killed 120 people in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.
In Pakistan, increased heat exposure and increased heat waves are recognized as one of the main effects of climate change, with people experiencing extreme heat and some of the highest temperatures in the world in recent years. doing. The South Asian nation of more than 241 million people is one of the 10 most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, but has also experienced untimely heavy rains, flash floods and droughts in recent years.
Extreme heat caused by climate change can lead to illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hyperthermia. It can worsen certain chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes-related diseases, and can also cause acute events such as stroke and hospitalization for kidney disease.
Dr Sarfaraz said the rest of Sindh except Karachi will continue to experience intense heat this month.
“Karachi will not be hit by a heat wave, but the rest of the province and the plains of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be hit by a heat wave from today,” he said.
“In Jacobabad, the hottest city in the world, [Sindh] Temperatures are expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius during this wave in the state. ”
Jacobabad is considered one of the hottest places in the world, with temperatures rising to 50 degrees Celsius from May to August, forcing almost half of the city’s 200,000 people to flee to cooler cities and towns. There are, officials said.
Dr Sarfaraz said temperatures in the federal capital Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan will also see temperatures 4-6 degrees Celsius above average from May 21 to 27.
school closure
Separately, the Punjab government on Monday announced the closure of public and private schools from May 25 to 31.
“In view of the sudden rise in temperatures and heatwave in the state, all public and private schools will remain closed for seven days from May 25, 2024 to May 31, 2024,” a state education department notification on Monday said. The school will be closed,” he added. We have confirmed that exams can be conducted during these days with the necessary precautions in place.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikander Hayat shared the notification on social media platform X and said that child safety will always remain the government’s “priority”.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, from 1999 to 2018, the effects of climate change killed nearly 10,000 Pakistanis and cost the country $3.8 billion worth of economic losses.
In 2022, heavy monsoon rains caused the most devastating floods in Pakistan’s history, killing approximately 1,700 people and affecting more than 33 million people, a staggering number nearly the population of Canada. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools, and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways have yet to be rebuilt.
