(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) A UAE paper has said that it is distressing to note that an unprecedented heat wave has claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi over the past four days.
"Emergency medical camps have now been set up in the streets, but it is increasingly obvious that the provincial government could have initiated more effective measures to save precious lives," said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Wednesday.
Temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius began roasting the steamy port city in recent days, up from a normal summer temperature of 37 degrees.
What compounded the problem for the people were major power cuts that coincided with the heat wave. Hours-long power outages struck the city, leaving residents without the choice of using fans and air conditioners.
Women and children were forced to walk down roads looking for shelter after leaving their suffocating homes. The power outages also affected the sporadic water supply in the city, where those who can afford it rely on tankers of water being delivered to their homes.
As everywhere else in such circumstances, the poor and the elderly were the worst-affected. The situation in Karachi cannot be looked at in isolation. It is part of a global problem and calls for a joint global solution. Just last month, hundreds of people died in a heat wave in neighbouring India.
The United Nations World Meteorological Organisation has cautioned that the year 2014's ranking as the "hottest year on record" is part of a larger climate trend. Last year was the warmest since records began in the 19th century and average world temperatures have already risen by about 0.85 degrees Celsius, raising the risk of heat waves, floods and rising world sea levels as polar ice melts.
Scientists say much sharper emission cuts are needed in coming decades to keep global warming within 2 degrees of pre-industrial times. This calls for a sustained, worldwide shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to power homes, cars and industries.
The message from Karachi is that climate change will claim more lives in future if countries, states and local units fail to increase their levels of preparedness. The best immediate step forward is to plant more trees and increase green activities.
"People themselves have a major role to play by taking precautions. Even a simple act of wearing a cap while venturing out could go a long way in protecting one from the furnace-like conditions," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
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