It has always been very difficult to find a hiding place – natural or artificial – in the Karachi concrete forest.
Karachi is in a boiling place. Once again.
These lines have been in the air for the past three decades, with the peak of the 1988 target, which is the first major cause of global warming. In the years that followed, waves struck parts of Pakistan from time to time in 2002, May 2004, June 2007, and 2010.
Post 2010, the frequency of heat waves increased, one observed almost every year – June 2015, May 2016, April 2017, May 2018, June 2019, May 2020, Jul 2021 and again April 2022. In fact , Karachi is currently facing a heat wave that began last week.
Ironically, there is much evidence to suggest that these extreme weather events are related to human-induced climate change.
Increases and increases in mercury
On May 28, 2017, the highest daytime temperature in Pakistan was recorded at Turbat at 54.0 ° C. An earlier elevation of 53.5 ° C was recorded at Mohenjo Daro shortly after May 27, 2010.
Overall, climate change has resulted in a series of adverse effects on Pakistan’s climate, with rising annual temperatures, rising wave days, rising sea levels, and declining winter and summer rainfall on arid and coastal plains. places.
These extreme weather conditions are most pronounced between May and June 2015, when prolonged high temperatures hit the Indian subcontinent, killing more than 2,500 people in India and more than 1,200 in Pakistan. This was the worst heat wave in Pakistan for a decade, with many of the dead being seen in the coastal city of Karachi. The city’s remains were left unoccupied by the burial mounds and cemeteries.
This year, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department sounded a heat alarm in March – almost as if Karachi is not seeing spring again.
According to a recent study by the Karachi Urban Lab, entitled Designed to Fail? South Asian City Temperature Control: The Karachi CaseKarachi temperatures have risen by 2 ° C – 4ºC at night and 1.6 ° C during the past 60 years — a much higher increase than global warming.
In light of these alarming details, it is important to test the Karachi town development talk and future ideas for innovation, especially in relation to temperature. To put it simply, Karachi’s problem is not only with rising temperatures but also with increasing humidity, hence, in the eight months of the year – from March to October, the city feels like a furnace.
For example, data from the Pakistan Metrological Department of Pakistan show that during the summer of 2015, temperatures ranged from 49 ° C to 50 ° C in Larkana and Jacobabad – much higher than in Karachi – but there was no such lethal heat in these cities.
To examine the relationship between relative humidity and air temperature, we collected the maximum temperature in June from 1997 to 2021 (See figures) to measure temperature index. [feel temperature].
Our results show that in years when air temperatures were high but humidity was low, the city did not have heat waves, while in those years when humidity was high and air temperatures were not high, the city. he saw the heat waves. Therefore, the weather in Karachi cannot be monitored without regard for humidity.
In addition, the lack of air, water shortages, urban heat island effect (UHI) and rising natural resources – combined with the cost of green spaces and agricultural land – have made the situation even more difficult. Thus, each passing year has made life more difficult for the people of Karachi.
The need for shade
What do you do when the sun goes down? He runs away looking for a shelter.
The problem is, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a hiding place – natural or artificial – in the Karachi concrete forest. You see, Karachi is hot, not only because of the air temperature, but also because of its humidity. The latter increases the temperature you feel, making it even hotter.
Any type of shade or cover, whether it be wood or canvas sheets tied at the top, helps to reduce the temperature by an average of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. Urban planners and architects agree that having dense trees in city plumbing and in public areas can be beneficial for pedestrians and users alike.
At the very least, the presence of different shades of shade can help to reduce the heat of the sun. For the purpose of this report, we have explored various parts of Karachi to find the types of cover available to residents who do not have the luxury of living in air-conditioned offices and homes or traveling on airplanes.
Our findings were consistent with our hypothesis – the streets of Karachi are cruel to its citizens, many of whom are part of the informal economy, which employs 72 percent of the city’s workforce. These include construction workers, garbage collectors, street vendors and other daily bettors. The nature of their work is that they can do nothing but face the direct heat of the sun.
In this case, the first priority should be tree planting, which not only provides shade but also reduces environmental pollution, protects against flood damage, and prevents soil erosion. Karachi’s record, however, has been quite different.
In recent years, thousands of trees have been uprooted in the name of development projects and road widening in the city of lanterns. According to a 2017 study by the National Forum for Environment and Health – a non-profit organization – at least 47,000 trees were uprooted to open up various development projects in the city this year alone.
This includes 17,000 trees uprooted to build the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) from the town of Surjani to Gurmundar, another 12,000 trees for the expansion and reconstruction of the University Road and another 4,000 for the extension of the Highway and National Highway. .
The same report states that 1,200 trees were felled to provide additional cattle sales per year along the Highway. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2016, about 13,000 trees were felled in major city residences for various urban projects.
And the civil war against the shadow was not limited to trees. In a series of anti-infiltration proceedings against the Supreme Court orders in 2018, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has removed 7,500 shadeshift shades from Saddar and surrounding areas alone – a process that continues to date. In January earlier this year, for example, many temporary shades were removed from the city’s Southern District.
Confused management
Whenever the Met Department announces the forthcoming heat alarms, health experts remind residents to stay cool by blocking sunlight and drinking plenty of water. In Karachi, however, the increase in water use is also no less as luxurious as the presence of shaded shots.
Although heat waves are becoming more common every year now, authorities still have to cope with the crisis. In addition, first responders and ambulance service providers were also excluded from the temperature control plan.
Here lies the problem: instead of devising long-term plans to reduce the effects of heat, authorities seem to be warning residents to stay indoors. In a city where the majority of the population is involved in an informal settlement economy and 65 percent of the population are forced to live in informal settlements, ‘staying at home’ is not an option for everyone.
The daily bettor will have to go out on a campaign to make a living. Water is already a precious commodity. And with the evil plan and the enforcement of anti-poverty law, so does the shadow. Instead of making the shade more comfortable for the common man, the city authorities have destroyed it. Roads may be widespread, but development is done at the expense of trees.
On the one hand, the authorities recognize that shady and green areas are important to keep the city cool, while on the other hand, tangible shadows are removed as an intervention. Similarly, efforts are being made to improve the landscape of many parks in Karachi. Even in well-maintained ports, shade or trees are almost unimaginable.
There was a time when large umbrellas were placed in some parks, but now they no longer exist. Similarly, it was common for people to rest under the trees in the said parks. Now, they too are rare.
Karachi’s immediate demand is the shadow. Unless that happens, we will see a recurrence of the events of 2015 with an increase in frequency waves over the next few years.
