ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Federal minister for climate change Senator Mushahidullah said that loss of precious lives due to heatwave in Karachi is very tragic and unfortunate incident.
He said that ministry took a proactive approach and sent letter to all provinces and federating units in April to prepare themselves for any expected heatwaves.
He further added that rise in temperature and frequency of heat waves in the country demands comprehensive steps at all level to deal with issue.
The ministry had issued a letter on April 6 to all provinces and federating units to take safety measures in advance to cope with any predicted heat wave issue.
A technical report on Karachi heatwave June 2015 was also attached with these letters to provide the strategy and guidelines for safety of citizen against heatwave.
This report was prepared under the direction te federal minister in 2015 when Karachi faced unpredicted heatwave. The report contained the reasons of heatwaves and recommendations to take practical steps against this issue.
ALSO READ: Sweltering heatwave takes 65 lives in Karachi
Dozens of people are feared to have died in a heatwave gripping Karachi this week as temperatures hit 42 degrees Celsius.
The Edhi Foundation said the ongoing heatwave has killed 65 people in Karachi over the past three days with double the usual number of bodies sent to the city’s morgues in recent days.
The heatwave coincides with the beginning of Ramazan. Karachi is hit by frequent power cuts and has few green spaces.
People living on its crowded streets have little access to shelter or safe drinking water, making them acutely at risk in blistering temperatures.
Nonetheless, reports of heat stroke deaths in Karachi will stir unease amid fears of a repeat of a heatwave in of 2015. In June 2015 about 1,200 people died during a heatwave, with nearly two-thirds of the victims homeless people.
