No plans: KMC, district administration unprepared to deal with heatwave

KARACHI: The current heatwave has reminded a resident of Ancholi near Sohrab Goth, Muhammad Abbas, the horrors of the heatwave that claimed the lives of 2,200 people in Sindh in 2015.

"The chillers of Edhi mortuary stopped working, while the influx of corpses kept on mounting," he recalled, adding that the entire area reeked of rotten bodies.

The 65 bodies, which according to the Faisal Edhi have arrived at the Edhi mortuary since Saturday, reminded him of the summers of 2015.

Three years down the line, when intense heat has struck the port city again, the authorities still seem to still be ill-prepared. As parts of Sindh remained in the grip of high temperature for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, the provincial and local governments have yet to come up with some emergency plans besides setting up heatwave camps across the city.



The heatwave continued in Karachi on Tuesday, with the highest temperature recorded at 43.3° Celsius for the fourth consecutive day.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, hot and slow winds from the north blew, while the humidity level in the air remained 8%. On Monday, the humidity was 7%.

Earlier, on Tuesday morning, the temperature was recorded at 37°C.
Quoting relatives of the deceased on Monday, Edhi Foundation head Faisal Edhi said over 60 people have died due to the heatwave since Saturday in Karachi.

Despite this, no government-run heatwave camp with first aid equipment can be seen in city.



In the years 2016 and 2017, several camps were established throughout the city during the summers. In such camps, a doctor, oral rehydration salts (ORS), glucose sachets, drips, wet towels and several cold bottles were made available so that instant first aid could be provided to heatstroke victims.

Those suffering from the heat kept thronging the camps in search of water. Each camp used to have 10 water cans of 17 litres each. The non-governmental organisations in the city are still, however, operating these camps in different areas.

Jafria Development Center (JDC) has established camps in Golimar, Numaish and Gulistan-e-Jauhar. "Faisal bhai called us last night and told us to be prepared," said JDC General Secretary Zafar Abbas.

"In 2015, we set up a temporary morgue at main Numaish Chowrangi, where we received 128 bodies," he said. This time, they are setting up four temporary morgues, one each in Malir, North Nazimabad, Numaish and Orangi Town.



However, when it comes to the government, no measures seem to have been taken. A resident of Kher Muhammad Goth, Rehmatullah told The Express Tribune that his village is very far from the city in Gadap Town. "There is no government heatstroke camp near our village," he said, adding that even the basic health unit in his village closed down after 1pm.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Health Director Birbal Genani told The Express Tribune that they have already declared an emergency in all the 11 KMC-owned hospitals in the city. Apart from this, he said KMC's rescue 1122 team is on standby and will help in case of any emergency.

However, he accepted that this time no heatstroke camp was established in the city.



Commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan, who directs his deputy commissioners in all six districts every year gave no such directions this year. When contacted by The Express Tribune for a comment, he was unavailable.