- The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £48,000 to the local partner to provide relief from the heatwave to 30,000 people.
- The weather will remain partly cloudy and windy, said Karachi Heatwave Early Warning Center.
KARACHI: The United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) has funded 30 heat stroke relief camps, some of which have started working in different parts of the city.
“All four stroke relief camps in Lyari and five out of six in Malir are functional; providing relief and raising awareness,” Shahid Noorani, project manager and focal person of the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS), told Arab News.
“The DFID has funded 30 heat stroke relief camps in the most deprived areas of Karachi to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to those in need,” the UK High Commission confirmed to Arab News.
The High Commission said DFID is supporting the efforts of the local government by providing £48,000 to HANDS to provide relief from the heatwave to 30,000 people and to give information to 150,000 on preventing heat strokes.
With this funding, HANDS has established 30 relief camps in the most densely populated and poorest areas in Lyari Town, Qur’angi Town, Surjani Town, Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauher, and Saddar.
The camps have been set up in areas facing problems with power outages and water shortage, as well as those with very high movement of people during the day.
The camps will provide cooling spaces for those at high risk, and trained staff will identify and manage patients with heat exhaustion and emergency management of heat stroke.
“Saving lives and preventing human suffering is at the heart of the UK’s aid agenda. This sweltering heatwave has already cost more than 70 lives in Karachi and the UK has stepped in to provide immediate relief to prevent any further losses,” DFID Pakistan head Joanna Reid said.
“These DFID-funded relief camps are well-equipped to provide the humanitarian assistance needed in the poorest and most high-risk areas in Karachi,” she added.
The HANDS spokesperson said eight of the camps are fully functional, while the remaining ones will be functional in the next few days.
“Although mercury has fallen, the temperature is likely to go up again,” Noorani said, quoting the Pakistan Met Office, which, according to Noorani, has predicted heatwaves in the coming days.
According to the Met Office the temperature will reach up to 36C and 70 to 80 percent humidity during the next two days.
The weather will remain partly cloudy and windy, said Karachi Heatwave Early Warning Center.
The camps, being set for a month, are aimed at providing maximum awareness to the people as well as providing first aid to those affected. “It’s more about awareness than relief, although the camps with volunteers will provide timely relief and then refer those affected by the heatwave to hospital,” said Noorani.