+eatZaYe Nills at least in 3aNistan
PA.ISTA1 - Hotter than average temperatures have killed at least people in just three days in .arachi, Pakistan.
Temperatures reached a high of degrees &elsius ( )ahrenheit), according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, way above the average daily high for May of
degrees &elsius ( )ahrenheit).
The situation was exacerbated by power outages citywide and ongoing fasting for the holy month of Ramadan, during which many Muslims abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.
)aisal Edhi, from Edhi )oundation which runs .arachi’s morgues, told CNN that people had died, however the number was disputed by the director for the provincial disaster management authority in Sindh, where .arachi located.
Muhammad Ali Shaikh said that so far only one person had died. He added the heatwave is ongoing and advised people to stay inside and avoid the heat.
The heatwave has also reached central and northern India. &onditions are expected to remain hot until the arrival of monsoon rains which are forecast to come in early -une in southern India before moving north throughout the month, coinciding with the end of Ramadan on -une . This is not the first time people in .arachi have endured such intense heat. A heatwave in the city reached degrees &elsius, killing at least , people, including many ill and elderly people.
Temperatures are forecast to stay in the low s ( to
)ahrenheit) for the next
is few days before cooling down to the upper s (upper s to low s )ahrenheit) at the end of the week.
“The biggest issue is that there is no green cover in the city,” said Suneela Ahmed, a .arachi based architect and urban designer.
1ormally .arachi has a high humidity level, during a heat wave there is a change in wind direction which brings in dry inland winds to the city instead of moisture from the sea, (and) there are no trees to provide the green cover.”
Due to a focus on housing, which has seen much of the green hinterland surrounding the city removed, “these lungs of the city have been demolished,” Ahmed said.
“:ith the extremity of these issues and no initiative to address them, in years this city won’t be livable.” (CNN)