Heatwave to intensify next week

The ongoing heatwave across the country would persist during the next week, with the average daily temperatures for day might rise by 6-8 degrees centigrade, the Meteorological Department said in its weather forecast on Friday.

The department said that the daytime temperatures were likely to rise sharply in most parts of the country during the next week due to high pressure. Because of the hot and dry weather, water reservoirs, crops, vegetables and orchards were at risk of water shortage.

The forecast said that the daytime temperatures in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir would be 7-9 degrees Celsius above normal, while it would be 6-8 degrees above normal in upper and central Sindh, central and southern Punjab and Balochistan.

According to the department, the higher temperatures will increase ice-melting which could increase the flow of water in the rivers. It advised the general public to take appropriate measures to irrigate their crops, and protect themselves from heat.

Read Pakistan, India reel under intense heat wave

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has urged national and provincial disaster management authorities and the relevant local authorities to take all pre-cautionary measures to cope with the possible disastrous impacts of above normal monsoon rains in most parts of the country and above average maximum as well as minimum seasonal temperatures over northern parts this year, according to a press statement issued here on Friday from Climate Change Ministry.

“In times of natural disasters, particularly such as floods and lashing rains in summer monsoon times pose serious danger to the lives and livelihoods of the people as well as public infrastructures,” the climate change minister said in a statement issued on Friday.

According to the annual 22nd South Asian Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum’s (SASCOF) consensus assessment report, the minister Rehman said that most of the country is likely to receive normal to above normal rains during the upcoming four-month summer monsoon (June-Sept) season.

The assessment report shows that during the summer wet season there is possibility of the excess monsoon rainfalls over south/southwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, north & northeast Balochistan & adjoining southwest Punjab, which might pose risk of flash flooding along the Koh-e-Sulaiman parts.

Relatively less rains over southeast Sindh might result in drought-like situation in Tharparker & Umerkot districts, according to the forest assessment.