Second summer during the months of September October
is a known phenomenon in Karachi. That’s why in the third week of September
when the entire country is in the grip of heavy rainfall the residents of the city
are confronted with sizzling 41 degree centigrade.
Last year the daytime temperature in Karachi during
September also crossed 40 degree Celsius and Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD)
issued a five-day heat wave warning due to low pressure in Arabian Sea off the
Indian Coast which lessened the sea breeze along the Pakistan coast line. This
year the sea breeze again stopped blowing under the influence of a low air
pressure formed in the Bay of Bengal.
Due to the changing in
weather patterns the monsoon season has passed away this year in Karachi
without rainfall. The 2018 was already recorded as the hottest year not only in
Karachi and Pakistan but worldwide. However, the consequences of that can be
traced more visibly in the megacity of more than 20 million inhabitants. During
the first two weeks of September there used to be some good rains in Karachi
and thereafter the monsoon completely withdrew from city. However, this year
because of without rain the weather has remained largely sunny, drier and with
higher humidity, making living, specially outdoor activities, difficult here.
Karachi has long been
witnessing its driest monsoon spell since the last two decades with zero
millimeters of precipitation recorded by the PMD. The monsoon season in the
provincial capital starts from July and lasts till the middle of September and
yet no significant rainfall has been recorded till now at the end of the season
and prospects of rainfall in October are also very less.
Many consider Karachi as a city of two summers. Pre
monsoon summer of April-May and post monsoon summer of September-October. As
official data suggests the highest temperature recorded in the city in the
month of September was 42.8 degree Celsius recorded on the 30th in
1951.
To control the changes
in weather in pattern is a long-time issue and it’s not in the capacity of
local or provincial governments. The city needs specific methodology. It’s time
to develop a special climate commission for Karachi with specialists of
environment, weather, water and horticulture who devise a strategy to cater the
ongoing climatic conditions and shape up a better future. One needs to follow the
Government of Punjab which has recently initiated a Punjab Clean Air Commission
in Lahore and other cities to specifically control pollution and vagaries smog.
Through Punjab Clean
Air Commission, various committees have been established at town and district
levels for monitoring of measures to control environment pollution. The
committees also monitor that the brick kilns remain closed as per court’
orders, ban on crops burning must be followed and a people-friendly strategy
for the closure of two-stroke engines, motorcycle rickshaws and smoke emitting
vehicles would be sought.
Karachi really needs
this kind of strategy, otherwise we are not going to see rain and feel coolness
anywhere in the city.
By
Editorial, Infocus
No comments:
Post a Comment