Pakistan heatwave pushes temperatures to 52 C, westerly to hit upper areas

Mohenjo Daro – Upper parts of the country are expected to receive much-needed relief from a persistent heatwave with the arrival of a westerly after temperatures in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh rose above 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, the highest reading of the summer and close to the country’s record high amid an ongoing heatwave.

Extreme temperatures across Asia during the last month have most certainly been exacerbated by human-caused climate change, according to an international team of scientists.

Read more: South Asia: The Global Pollution Hotspot. Pakistan and India have seen a fourfold growth in autos since 2000.

Temperatures in Mohenjo Daro, a town in Sindh known for ancient monuments dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which was founded in 2500 BC, have risen as high as 52.2 C (126 F) in the previous 24 hours, according to Shahid Abbas, a senior official with the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

The temperature is the hottest of the summer so far, approaching the town’s and country’s records of 53.5 C (128.3 F) and 54 C (129.2 F), respectively.

Mohenjo Daro is a small town with extremely hot summers, moderate winters, and little rainfall, yet its few marketplaces, which include bakeries, tea shops, mechanics, electronic repair shops, and fruit and vegetable dealers, are generally crowded.

However, with the present heatwave, retailers are seeing absolutely no footfall.

Read more: Climate change impacts Asia hardest, with below-normal precipitation in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush range.

“Customers are not visiting the restaurant due to the excessive heat. I sit idle at the restaurant with these tables and chairs and no clients,” says Wajid Ali, 32, who runs a tea stand in town.

“I take baths multiple times a day, which offers me some relief. Also, there is no power. The heat has made us feel quite nervous.”

Close to Ali’s shop is an electrical repair company managed by Abdul Khaliq, 30, who was working with the shop’s shutter half down to protect himself from the sun. Khaliq also complained about how the heat affected business.

Local doctor Mushtaq Ahmed noted that the residents have adapted to live in adverse weather conditions and prefer to stay indoors or near water.

“Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change.” We have seen above-average rainfall and floods,” Rubina Khursheed Alam, the prime minister’s climate coordinator, told a news conference on Friday, adding that the government is undertaking awareness campaigns in response to the heatwaves.

The highest temperature recorded in Pakistan was 54 C (129.2 F) in Turbat, in the southwestern province of Balochistan, in 2017. According to Sardar Sarfaraz, Chief Meteorologist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, this was the fourth highest temperature in the globe and the second hottest in Asia.

The heatwave will lessen in Mohenjo Daro and neighboring areas, but another period is likely to hit other parts of Sindh, including the metropolis, Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

SOME RELIEF FROM THE WEST.

However, temperatures in upper Pakistan may dip, according to the Met Office, as a shallow westerly wave is expected to reach the country beginning Tuesday evening or night.

According to the weather forecast, various districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Zhob, Ziarat, Sherani, and Barkhan, may see duststorms and thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But duststorm/thunderstorm with sporadic rain is forecast in most regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, barring the southern districts, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad and Punjab from Tuesday evening/night to Saturday.

However, temperatures in Sindh will not drop, with only duststorms or gusty winds forecast in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, and Hyderabad on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As a result, the Met Office predicts that extreme heatwave conditions in the upper sections will subside beginning Tuesday. However, heatwave-like conditions are expected to prevail in the central and southern portions of the country, with daytime temperatures remaining 3 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal.