Most districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Peshawar and its surrounding areas, are currently gripped by extreme heat and heatwaves.
According to the latest advisory issued by the Meteorological Department and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), due to the formation of a high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere, the temperature in the plains and central districts of the province is being recorded 4 to 6 degrees Celsius higher than normal.
Today, the mercury is expected to reach 42 to 45 degrees Celsius in the central areas, including Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, and Swabi, during the day, while the humidity in the air has remained at only 22 percent, due to which the intensity of the heat and the feeling of cold are becoming more intense.
On the other hand, the southern districts of the province, including Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Karak, and Lakki Marwat, are suffering from the most intense heatwave, where the temperature is predicted to reach 46 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Hot and dry winds have been blowing in these plains since morning, due to which business life has been badly affected, and traffic on the roads is very low in the afternoon.
Keeping in view this situation of extreme heat, PDMA has put all the district administrations on high alert and has issued instructions to establish heat stroke centers and cooling points for clean drinking water on an emergency basis for the convenience of the public.
The leaves of Rescue 1122 and health department staff have been cancelled and ordered to remain alert, as there is a fear of heat stroke and dehydration cases due to the heat. Medical experts have advised citizens, especially children, women, and the elderly, to avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily and going directly to the sun from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The public has been urged to increase the consumption of water, salt water, and ORS so that there is no shortage of salts in the body. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has also directed farmers to water their crops early in the morning or late in the evening and to move livestock to shaded areas to protect them from the intense sun.
Although the weather is slightly better in the upper districts like Swat, Chitral, and Dir, and the temperature is likely to remain between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius, an alert has been issued for them as the intense heat may accelerate the melting of glaciers, which may lead to the risk of flooding in local rivers.
The Meteorological Department says that this heat wave will continue for the next few days, after which light rain with wind and thunder has been predicted in some areas, which will break the heat somewhat.
Read also: KP and Northern areas weather updates
