The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) the other day stated that the first half of June is most likely to remain drier and hotter than normal, increasing the probability of heatwaves over the plains and coastal areas of Pakistan.
Dr Rasul said intense heat conditions may cause glacier melting to accelerate and trigger glacial lake outburst flood events. He added that monsoon was expected to arrive early in the second half of June due to intense heat.
Though the mercury continued to rise across the country through May, Dr Rasul said that these temperatures were normal for the month, save for the case of Hyderabad, where it exceeded the previous record of 49 degrees Celsius.
Even in Sibi and Jacobabad, the temperature did not cross the 52 degree Celsius limit, which is the highest recorded temperature for the region in the month of May.”
Talking about the effects of the expected heatwaves, Dr Rasul said sufficient availability of water would mitigate the effects of an early rise in temperatures on seasonal crops like cotton and sugarcane.
He added that the water flow in rivers and water level in dams was not affected this year due to sufficient quantity of rains this year.
