Over 1,000 camps set up across Sindh to tackle severe heatwave

KARACHI: Over 1,000 camps have been set up across Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh in anticipation of a severe heatwave, disaster management officials said Tuesday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said temperatures are expected to hit as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of rural Sindh.

“These camps have been set up to provide relief to affected people, and to help reduce instances of heatstroke and other heat-related diseases,” Ajay Kumar assistant director of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.

“They are also equipped with places of rest, water, and glucose to give to people as and when these are needed,” he added.
The heatwave will affect much of the country, building over the next week.

According to local media, Pakistan’s extreme heat is frequently accompanied by power outages, with some places suffering load shedding for as long as fifteen hours every day.

According to scientists, Pakistan is becoming more susceptible to extreme weather occurrences associated with climate change.
Annual exams for this week have already been postponed by schools throughout the province, notably in Karachi, a mega port city with a population of over 20 million.

PDMA Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that “women who spend most of their time in the kitchen and in the fields in rural areas are the hardest hit.”

Read More: Karachi weather update: Heatwave to prevail in port city next week