Karachi’s killer heat wave strikes again

• Man helpless before Nature, but human callousness also

The unfortunate inhabitants of Karachi, suffering from perpetual lack of basic civic amenities and social welfare facilities, are under assault by another increasingly familiar tormentor, a lingering, scorching heat wave, which has already claiming at least 65 victims since Saturday, with this deadly weather phenomenon expected to persist till Thursday. There can be endless argument blaming radically changing climatic conditions, global warning, environmental degradation, unchecked urban sprawl, and also in our own callous case, the prolonged load shedding and chronic shortage of potable water in the vast metropolis, as also the incidence of the holy fasting month of Ramzan at this particular juncture. But the inordinate number of deaths by dehydration and heatstroke, especially among the vulnerable, children, the frail and elderly, those facing health problems, the poor marginalised living cooped up in densely-populated areas and workers exposed directly to the harsh elements, can surely be reduced, by precautionary education, well-planned, quick- response medical services and provision of emergency stopgap roadside sites, as well as declaring some private and government buildings as ‘cooling centres’ to prevent loss of precious human lives, as indeed happens abroad.

Karachi’s June 2015 heat wave, which also coincided with the fasting month, came without warning and left at least 1,000 dead, but the present affliction was predicted by the Meteorological Department and Karachi’s Heatwave Management Plan, adopted after the bitter 2015 experience, and operating from the Commissioner’s Office, now faces a tough test regarding its efficacy and worth, at a challenging time when many citizen’s lives are at stake. It is clear that the latest lethal version of the heatwave is not going to go away anytime soon, but with the global weather patterns becoming weirder every year, will likely grow in frequency and intensity. World scientists are still trying to figure out the new heat-index dynamics, but it seems the cumulative effect of high temperatures (40+ degrees Celsius), low air pressure, which cuts off usual cooling sea breezes from coastal cities, and high humidity, is behind the thousands of worldwide deaths due to heatwave. But these are preventable, with serious intent and short and long term counter-measures.