Karachi, the largest metropolis of Pakistan, is hot and simmering. And if the Meteorological Department’s forecast is accurate, the citizens must brace themselves for yet another spell of heat wave.
The first round of unprecedented heat in Karachi, along with other parts of interior Sindh, has claimed over 1,000 lives. The misery of masses has only been exacerbated by hours of unannounced electricity shortages during the holy month of Ramadan. According to sources, about 70 percent of the deaths have been reported from the poorest localities of Karachi and included large scores of day laborers.
Meanwhile, citizens rue the apathetic attitude of political elite toward plight of the heat wave victims. As the reported death toll increased, government and opposition parties continued to exchange barbs over the responsibility for heat wave related deaths. Instead of accepting its failure to control the country’s power situation, the government has chosen to remain in denial mode and shift blame for the energy crisis on to Karachi’s main power supplier.
Even the notorious Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) have jumped into action to make a mockery of the misery being faced by Karachiites. Expressing solidarity with the “oppressed” people of Pakistan, the banned militant organization has warned the power supply company to mend its ways or face “action.” As the government struggles to cope with the situation, sympathy from an extremist group, responsible for staging several deadly attacks causing loss of several thousand innocent lives, is like rubbing salt in the wounds.
Before this weather-related tragedy, few in Pakistan were aware of even the existence of Ministry of Climate Change in the official setup. After the killer heat wave, officials of this portfolio emerged on the scene to come up with a unique explanation for the extreme weather conditions in Karachi. The minister believes that coal-powered plants in Rajasthan, India, may have combined with other global climate change events to further increase temperatures in Pakistan. If this viewpoint is to be accepted, then the Sharif government’s plan to setup large coal-powered plants in the country becomes questionable as well.
In case the authorities continue to push with these projects that may cause more intense heat waves in future, the citizens should seek inspiration from a recent court ruling over climate change against the Dutch government. While transnational pollution is a real problem, the court announced that governments must own responsibility for climate change and cut carbon emissions within their own boundaries.
Considering the unpredictability and ever-changing nature of global climate, it is highly likely that heat waves in Pakistan would become more frequent and harsher in future. Unfortunately, Pakistan is ill-equipped to deal with impacts of such natural disasters due to severe income disparities and poor emergency logistics.
At a local level, the health authorities should consider launching awareness campaigns about heat injury, protection against direct sunlight and the need to stay hydrated, especially for at-risk populations. To mitigate the impact of such extremely hot conditions, there is need for a unified global action to curb carbon emissions.
As developing countries may lack resources and technology to conserve the environment, richer countries should drive global efforts to promote a more sustainable future and support smaller nations to adapt to the changing climate.
