Hot weather grips Sindh’s flood affected areas

Humidity adds to the difficulties of displaced families awaiting aid

SEHWAN/ KARACHI:

Life after rains and floods is miserable for Allah Warayo, his wife and three children who have nothing other than a charpai to their shelter during the harsh weather.

“It is difficult to survive here,” Warayo told The Express Tribune. “It seems we sit on fire. It is not easy to tolerate this weather. The sun is burning,” he added.

The weather in Sehwan, Dadu, and adjacent areas which are already submerged underwater has changed suddenly. The local people who are used to facing the hot weather in summer each year have a different experience this time around after torrential rains and floods.

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“At least we had a home to live in before these floods,” commented a woman sitting on a roadside makeshift shelter. “I feel like I will collapse,” she explained saying that everyone was crying and wanted to move to another place. “But let me know if you know any place suitable for children,” she lamented.

The hot weather is not just hitting Dadu and Sehwan, similar weather is being observed in different parts of Sindh, including Karachi.

Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) chief Sardar Sarfaraz told The Express Tribune that similar weather conditions are expected to continue for the next couple of days.

“Winds are disturbed due to [the] low pressure developed in the east of Sindh [India],” Sarfaraz said. “Some of the districts fall in the low-pressure belt,” he explained.

He said it was not a heatwave but the hot weather has gripped many districts of the province. He maintained that some of the areas like Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Badin received rain on Saturday. “I think it will rain in other areas in a few days,” he added.

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The PMD chief said that the temperature recorded in Dadu and other districts was between 38 to 40 degrees. “There is the humidity that ultimately creates problems. It is better to avoid going outdoors between 11 am to 3 pm,” he advised.

Owing to changes in the weather, the displaced families living on the road have been complaining about not having been provided with tents after being displaced for two weeks.

Thousands of people are still seen on roadsides in different areas without tents, exposed directly to the scorching heat.