KARACHI: Sukkur, Dadu, Moenjodaro and Padidan experienced the highest temperature of 48.5 degrees Celsius in Sindh on Monday, while the heatwave persisting in the province pushed up the mercury to above 40 degrees Celsius in other parts of the province after a slight relief in the past couple of days.

Cooler sea breeze sweeping Karachi restricted the city’s maximum temperature to 37.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 28.5 degrees Celsius.

A Met official said that a three-day heatwave could envelop the metropolis from Tuesday.

He said that the maximum temperatures recor­ded in other towns of Sindh on Monday was as follows: Larkana (48), Jacobabad (47.5), Rohri (47), Mirpur­khas (46.5), Nawabshah (46), Chhor and Hyderabad (45.5), Sakrand and Mithi (44.5) and Badin (41 degrees Celsius).

The Met department issued the three-day heatwave alert on Monday recalling that two such spells (May 3 to 4 and May 22 to 25) had pushed up the mercury to the peak of 44 degrees Celsius. Yet another spell is likely to hit Karachi and its surrounding areas from Tuesday to Thursday (May 29 to 31) during which the maximum temperature could range between 41 and 45 degrees Celsius, according to the Met department alert.

It said that the sea breeze was likely to subside/stop and hot and dry continental winds from north/northwest (Balochistan) were expected to sweep the city during the period.

SUKKUR: With most parts of upper and central Sindh including Sukkur, Rohri, Jacobabad and Larkana gripped by high temperatures of 47-48 degrees Celsius on Monday, a large number of people, mostly children, suffered various diseases relating to the heatwave.

Most of the cases reported at scores of health facilities across Sukkur district pertained to gastroenteritis, stomach disorders and dehydration.

Reports from Pannu Aqil, Salehpat, Rohri, Sangrar, Thikrato, Bachal Shah Miani, New Pind, Wazirabad, Achhi Qubion and other areas suggested that scores of women and children and a good number of men were taken to the taluka hospitals of Rohri and Pannu Aqil, Ghulam Mohammed Mahar College Hospital as well as various rural health centres with such diseases.

Major health facilities fell short of beds for the unusually high number of cases reporting there at a time. In many cases, one bed was seen shared by two or more patients.

Sukkur District Health Officer (DHO) Abdul Sattar Mahar said on Monday that 20 to 30 patients were being brought to the Sukkur Civil Hospital and 10 to 15 to each of the rural health centres since the heatwave had hit upper Sindh last week.

He observed the highest number of cases having been reported at the health facilities on Monday.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2018