KARACHI/Lahore - Karachi Commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi on Wednesday confirmed that ten persons lost their lives in two days due to severe heat wave conditions in Karachi division.
The commissioner, while briefing the media persons here at his office, refuted the reports regarding number of reported deaths due to severe heat in the metropolis and said that data collected from different sources confirmed demise of ten individuals due to heat wave conditions.
He said that administration collected data regarding deaths occurred in Karachi division from different sources which included patient information from hospitals, data of graveyard burials from Karachi Municipal Corporation and information from mortuaries.
The reported number of deaths in the city is not correct as those figures have not been confirmed by any source, the commissioner categorically stated adding that 1700 patients of heat stroke were brought to all the hospitals of Karachi division and heat stroke was found as cause of death in ten cases.
He said that mortuaries usually did not record cause of death so administration contacted to the heirs of demised persons to confirm the cause of death and hardly 5 percent of respondents mentioned heat stroke as cause of death.
Karachi administration was taking measures on emergency basis to deal with the situation arising from heat wave, Naqvi said.
On a query regarding disruptions in power supply by K-Electric the commissioner said that he will convene a meeting with KE officials and will ask them to avoid load shedding during heat wave spells which usually last for two or three days.
The KE will be further asked to ensure uninterrupted power supply from 12:00 midnight to to 6:00 am, the commissioner said.
He urged that unconfirmed information should not be spread and if any NGO or charity organization observes any alarming situation anywhere in the city it must be shared with the administration as well.
Responding to another query about water supply situation in the metropolis, the commissioner said that water distribution plan has been sought from Water and Sewerage Corporation along with details of area wise supply, shortage arisen and past trends.
We are trying to ensure distribution of water in a coordinated manner to all the areas of Karachi, he said.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has predicted rain wind/thundershower with isolated heavy fall and hailstorm in most parts of the country including the provincial capital from Thursday to Monday with occasional gaps.
According to a spokesman for the department, monsoon currents from Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal are likely to penetrate eastern parts of the country and a low pressure also lies over south of Indian Gujarat. Under the influence of this weather system, rain wind/thundershower with isolated heavy fall and hailstorm is expected in most parts of the province including Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur, Khushab, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Pothohar Region from 27th June to 01st July with occasional gaps. Rain/thundershower is expected in Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, D.G. Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Layyah till 30th June.
Rain wind/thundershower with isolated heavy fall is also expected in parts of Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan/Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Heavy rains may cause urban/flash flood in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal hilly areas of Kashmir from 28th to 30th June.
Dust storm/windstorm and lightning may affect daily routines, loose structures like electric poles, vehicles and solar panels etc during the period.
Urban flooding is feared in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Narowal. An alert has been issued to the concerned administration to deal with urban flooding. There may be heavy storm and some hail in different districts of Punjab Director General Irfan Ali Kathia informed in a press statement issuing alert to the rescue, drainage agencies.
He also appealed the people to follow the instructions of the government and contact PDMA helpline 1129 in case of emergency.