The soaring mercury has begun to exact its toll on Karachi as well where at least 20 people have apparently died of heatstroke in two days. Rescue services and health officials said that the bodies bore no injury marks.

Most of the bodies were stated to be of chronic drug addicts who, according to health officials, apparently died of exposure to excessive heat the city is experiencing these days. It was last month that the city had seen the emergence of a very large number of heatstroke camps across the city where patients were being provided with the required treatment while others offered sharbat or water to help them overcome the intensity of heat.

That step had indeed contributed towards efforts aimed at battling heatstroke cases in a meaningful manner. Unfortunately, their number, in my view, seems to have dwindled on account of anticipation of rains. But rains seem to be still many days, if not weeks, away.

Hence the need of setting up as many as heatstroke treatment camps in the city as possible. One more point that I would like to make is the lack of trees, particularly Neem trees, in this mega city, which has accentuated the intensity of heat in a big way.

In sum, the residents of the country’s largest city have been facing the grim challenge of urban heat island effect which means the air in the city is hotter and drier than in the surrounding areas.

In sum, the situation underscores the need for creating greenery infrastructures, including parks, on a large scale without any further loss of time.

Saleem Khan

Karachi

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024