ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NMDA), Thursday, while urging the people to avoid unnecessary outdoor visits as countrywide 26 districts were severely affected by the heatwave that would surge in three spells in the summers ahead.
Addressing a joint press conference, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam along with Member Disaster Risk Reduction NDMA, Idrees Mehsud and NDMA technical expert Dr Tayyab warning people of serious heatwave consequences advised them to stop unnecessary outdoor visits especially children, the elderly, and people suffering from serious illnesses.
People are urged to avoid unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight, stay hydrated, and wear lightweight, light-coloured clothing to minimise the effects of the heat. It is also recommended to remain indoors during peak sunlight hours to prevent heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and dehydration, the NDMA advised.
Romina said Pakistan was facing a severe heatwave and it was the first spell of simmering temperature rise that would continue in three waves starting from the prevalent May 22-30, the second from June 7-8, and the third to be in the last week of June. She mentioned that elaborate guidelines and early warnings with detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to cope with the above normal high temperatures posing serious threat to human lives and the ecology around.
The PM’s aide commented that the heatwaves were more a man-made crisis than a natural hazard as it was spiking up in the areas with less green cover, excessive unsustainable and environment-damaging anthropogenic activities. She said global warming was impacting the entire world, whereas, well-prepared heatwave guidelines were shared repeatedly through electronic, print and social media.
The NDMA, she said being a national body was mostly working on early warnings and coordinating with the provincial departments on various natural disasters and calamities faced by the country. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination was observing all mechanisms on a routine basis as the heatwave that used to be a slow-onset event had expedited along with abruptly changing weather patterns like erratic monsoon rainfalls, she added.
She underlined that with the beginning of the heatwave phenomenon the glaciers of the country were rapidly melting, whereas, the risk of glaring forest fires had also manifold, saying that the authorities were monitoring the entire situation on the directives of the prime minister who was very much keen on enhancing the country’s climate and disaster resilience. She requested the general public to observe extreme care while entering national parks and green areas and avoid throwing cigarette butts and inflammable materials such as match sticks that could erupt infernos on a mass scale.
The PM aide mentioned that the Ministry of Climate Change and Capital Development Authority (CDA) teams had successfully put out the forest fire recently in the Margallas. “Lighter, perfume and other inflammable materials should not be left in cars under the sun and keep windows of the vehicles slightly open to avoid any untoward situation due to rising temperatures. The workers or labourers working at different sites should be provided water as it is extremely hot and unusual situation that could lead to a serious emergency,” she urged the masses.
She commended that the early warning system of the NDMA under its National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) was the strongest in the world and it provided 24/7 data that guides the national and provincial entities and the general public at large.
Technical expert, Dr Tayyab from the NDMA informed that the global climate transition left Pakistan as the fifth-most vulnerable country due to climate change. The NDMA had developed first-ever disaster calendar of the country with six months projections of summers and winters projecting separate natural calamities, he added.
He mentioned that January and February this year observed rainfall below normal and below normal snowfall, whereas, erratic rainfall happened in April that occurred in other countries as well and also the torrential rains that pounded Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan provinces.
He mentioned that the NEOC had developed the complete guidelines of heatwaves that projected extreme prevalence of rising temperature impacts in the plains of South Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan namely, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari, Sanghar, Dadu, Jacobabad, Badin, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Kashmore, Kachi, Lehri, Jhal Magsi, Lasbela, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Rajanpur, and Lodhran.
He highlighted that water stress was one of the major issues during heatwave as water consumption increased during heatwave as continuous water consumption required avoiding dehydration. However, drought was another disaster linked to heatwave as groundwater aquifers depletion impacts human life and agriculture, whereas, Tharparkar and Jacobabad were facing mild drought situation that could also trigger agricultural drought, he added.
Responding to media queries, Romina Khurshid said the prime minister had formed a high-level joint committee under his leadership that was in liaison with all the relevant authorities to keep the national forum abreast of prevailing climate catastrophes.
Answering a question Member, DRR, NDMA, Idrees Mehsud said that in-time preparedness, information sharing and awareness were the basics of disaster management and therefore, an android mobile application was under preparation that would be accessible to the general public and media for all alerts, advisories, plans and SOPs on disasters.
He also informed that the chairman NDMA through the national emergencies operation cell was in direct contact with the director generals of all provincial disaster management authorities with both hybrid and virtual modes to share knowledge and guide decision making processes in disasters.
The national coordination cell as a forum had coordination with all local, provincial authorities, and donors and international agencies on various issues at the NDMA, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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