Killer heatwave snuffs out nine more lives in Karachi

Official death toll rises to 25; protests staged against prolonged power outages

KARACHI:

Nine more people succumbed to the killer heatwave in Karachi on Friday, raising the official death toll to 25 in June, Sindh Health Department confirmed.

While the opposition political parties put the numbers in over a thousand the provincial government says that 25 people died of heatstroke in June.

According to the Sindh Health Department, 209 people checked in with symptoms of heatstroke at hospitals across the city in the last 24 hours. Out of these 65 patients were admitted and rest were sent home after first aid.

Per official statement, during the last 24 hours, 208 victims of heat stroke were discharged from the hospital after recovery. Nine deaths due to heat waves were reported in hospitals across the city in the last 24 hours, out of which three deaths were reported from Jinnah Hospital while five from Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and one from Civil Hospital.

JI stages over 100 protests against power, water crisis

Over 100 protest demonstrations were held across Karachi over load shedding, overcharging and acute shortage of water even during the outgoing heatwave as hundreds of deaths were reported during the past one week, particularly from the areas experiencing power outages.

The protest demonstrations were mainly staged outside KE Integrated Business Centers (IBCs), water hydrants and major points in the city.

People, belonging to all walks of life participated in the protest demonstrations. The protesters, carrying placards and banners, chanted slogans against the KE, the water board and the government.

JI Karachi Ameer Munem Zafar said water and electricity crises are top two issues in Karachi and both of them are inter-connected.

Talking about the electricity crisis, he said that the government and the National Electric Power Regularity Authority (NEPRA) were responsible to control load shedding and ensure that the KE was running its affair in a fair manner.

However, he said, the two not only failed in discharging their obligations but also played the role of a facilitator for the KE in its wrong doings. He maintained that the KE has been carrying out load shedding of up to 18 hours in some areas.

PTI stages protest against power outages

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Division organized a protest outside the K-Electric head office at Gizri Karachi against unannounced load shedding and high electricity bills. A large number of PTI leaders, workers, and citizens participated in the protest. Prominent participants included PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, Karachi Division President Raja Azhar, PTI leaders Khurram Sher Zaman, Rizwan Niazi, Alamgir Khan, Faheem Khan, Jamal Siddiqui, Arsalan Khalid, Rehan Bandukda, Rizwan Khanzada, Advocate Zahoor Mehsud, Aftab Jahangir, Advocate Muhammad Ashraf Samoo, Advocate Rashid Khan, Suleman Khan, Moazzam Khan, Hasna Nadeem, Iram Butt, Ayesha Rashid, among others. The protesters chanted slogans against K-Electric’s excesses and demanded that Karachi be declared a load-shedding-free zone. PTI leaders submitted a charter of demands at the K-Electric head office.

Sheikh said that Karachi is experiencing severe load shedding of 18 to 20 hours daily. The intense heat and power outages have made life unbearable for citizens, with over 800 deaths reported in the past week. Sheikh demanded accountability for the 800 deaths reported in the last eight days.

PTI Karachi Division President Raja Azhar highlighted the discrepancy in electricity bills between Sindh and other provinces, with Karachi facing exorbitant.

PTI Sindh’s Additional General Secretary, Rizwan Nazir, said that 2,500 to 3,000 megawatts of electricity are needed in Karachi, which can be generated from waste.

The protest concluded with a march from Gizri to Korangi led by Haleem Adil Sheikh, demanding the immediate release of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, and the dismissal of false cases against them.