Rain offers some respite to Karachi after days of scorching heat

Published June 27, 2024 Updated June 27, 2024 09:49pm

Rain offered some respite to Karachiites on Thursday following four straight days of the temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius.

DawnNewsTV reported that different parts of the metropolis received dust storms and heavy rainfalls, including Gadap, Bahria Town and Malir.

A correspondent said rains had started earlier on the outskirts of the city but spread to different parts of the city soon after.

Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz said that Friday and Saturday would be warm days as well, however, the intensity of the heat would go down.

While speaking to Geo News, he said he expected rain to continue for the next two to three days with breaks during the afternoon and evening.

“Until the low pressure is broken from the area, [or] it does not move or fizzles out, the sea breeze would not be restored completely,” Sarfaraz said.

“The next two days will remain warm but the intensity would not be the same, they [days] would be significantly less warmer,” he said.

According to a press release issued by PMD on Tuesday, “rain wind/thundershower with isolated heavy fall” was expected in different parts of Sindh from Wednesday onwards.

Today, two old sisters died ostensibly due to prevailing extreme weather conditions in the metropolis, police and rescue services officials said.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the relatives told the doctors that both aged sisters had suffered “heat stroke” and died.

Malir City police station house officer (SHO) Farasat Shah told Dawn.com that the deceased — identified as Shaherbano and Rukhsana — were in their 70s and died due to heat-related ailments.

Separately, Dr Syed told Dawn.com that two suspected heat stroke patients died during treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Civil Hospital Karachi respectively.

Four persons died from heatstroke in the city yesterday due to intense heat.

Meanwhile, the Sindh health department confirmed eight heat-related deaths in Karachi dur­ing one month. It said most of them were drug addicts or homeless.

However, Karachi Commis­sioner Hasan Naqvi said that a total of 10 people died because of heatstroke on Monday and Tuesday.

Briefing the media at his office, he said that eight people had died on Monday and two on Tuesday due to heatwave.

The Met department recorded the maximum temperature in the city on Monday at 42°C while the mercury touched 41°C on Sunday.

Opinion

Editorial

Pension burden
Updated 29 Jun, 2024

Pension burden

The cost of inaction has been enormous; the national pension bill has risen 50 times during the last 20 years.
‘Hot pursuit’
29 Jun, 2024

‘Hot pursuit’

WHILE Pakistan faces a major problem in the form of terrorists from Afghanistan infiltrating the country,...
Of fatal flaws
29 Jun, 2024

Of fatal flaws

IT is remarkable how chaos seems to be the only constant with the PTI. Late on Thursday, it emerged that the...
PM spurned
Updated 28 Jun, 2024

PM spurned

The PM must ensure PTI is allowed to function just like any other political party while the latter must not set rigid conditions.
Gaza’s journalists
28 Jun, 2024

Gaza’s journalists

Israel does not want other voices to be heard, and is adamant on spinning its blood-soaked campaign in Gaza as a ‘just war’.
Chinese industries
28 Jun, 2024

Chinese industries

PRIME MINISTER Shehbaz Sharif appears to be pushing the rusty bureaucratic machinery hard to turn nearly three dozen...