Karachi: The Heatwave alert for Karachi has been issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department Authority on Wednesday.
The department explained “Sea breeze is cut off, while hot and dry winds of Balochistan are entering the city”.
To help reduce the chances of heatstroke, the PMDA guides individuals to avoid being directly under sunlight from 11 am to 4 pm, and to consume more water than usual.
The department added that the air quality of Karachi has also dropped significantly, making it the fourth most polluted city of the world. According to the air quality index, the particulate matter level of the city is now 164.
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According to the experts, a score falling between 151 to 200, is harmful to health, while 201 to 300 is extremely harmful and beyond that number it shows dangerous air quality.
Now that the sea breezes from Balochistan have stopped, it has been the major cause of the increasing air pollution.
Previously, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has advised the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the local authorities, to get ahead of the heatwave and take effective measures to control the risk in the highlighted areas of the country within this week.
The NDMA has issued a warning that the plains of Sindh, southern Punjab, eastern and southern Balochistan, will be affected immensely by the first heatwave of the season.
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In a press release issued by the NDMA, “Temperatures are most likely to soar in sub-mountainous areas of the country”.
The PDMAs have been instructed to form heatstroke stabilization and relief centres at any government building available, however, they would need to provide the basic facilities there. On the other hand, the local authorities have been advised to coordinate with emergency services and various other departments, they also have been asked to spread awareness and educate the public related to the symptoms and preventive measures.
The press release added “A helpline should be set up to assist the affected people on a priority. General public, especially heatstroke victims should be provided water and necessary emergency medicines. The people, especially farmers, should be warned about possible dust storms during harvesting and threshing”.
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