KARACHI: Sindh Health Department has warned people of a possible heatwave in June, directing the authorities concerned to plan comprehensive measures to avert an emergency-like situation in the province.
A health department warning says temperatures across the world are continuously rising due to climate change and Pakistan is also among the regions bearing the brunt.
It says a heatwave is expected to impact both urban and rural parts of Sindh with temperatures expected to rise and stay between 44 degrees Celsius and 46 degrees Celsius, with a possibility of touching 50 degrees.
The department identifies senior citizens, children, policemen and people with outdoor jobs as a high-risk group, most prone to get harmed by the sweltering heat.
To monitor the situation, the government will set up a control room under the Sindh health director general, while district officers have been alerted about the weather condition and asked to be prepared for it in their respective jurisdictions.
Hospitals all over the province will also be on high alert to meet any emergency and their administrations have been instructed to keep essential medicine in stock, while Rescue 1122 has been told to keep ambulances ready round the clock in every district.
The health department has especially ordered the emergency wards of the hospitals to be on high-alert.
Earlier, a heatwave in 2015 had claimed 700 lives, so preparations will have to be made in advance to avert any repetition of the situation, the department says.