Heatwave Kills 10 in Karachi

APP

Karachi: The Commissioner Karachi Syed Hasan Naqvi, on Wednesday confirmed that ten persons lost their lives in two days due to severe heatwave conditions in Karachi division.

The commissioner, while briefing the media persons here at his office, refuted the reports regarding the number of reported deaths due to severe heat in the metropolis and said that data collected from different sources confirmed the demise of ten individuals due to heatwave conditions.

He said that administration collected data regarding deaths occurring 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 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 an emergency basis to deal with the situation arising from the heatwave, 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 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 the water supply situation in the metropolis, the commissioner said that a 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.