The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Khyber Pakthunkhwa has warned that the temperature in the province may rise by eight degrees during the next five days, triggering a heatwave.
In an advisory, the provincial authority said that the mercury rise might cause glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the Northern areas of the province, especially in the Upper and Lower Chitral districts.
As per the PDMA advisory, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has informed that the temperature in the province “may increase seven to eight degrees above normal over the ‘coming four to five days creating a heat wave type situation in glaciated regions.”
The PDMA urged deputy commissioners of the Upper and Lower Chitral to issue an alert for people living near waterways and vulnerable locations to avoid loss of life.
“All relevant line agencies must also be put on alert for swift response in case of emergency,” it said.
The PDMA issued another advisory to all deputy commissioners of the province, saying that heatwave conditions are likely this week owing to persistent high pressure in the upper atmosphere, and day temperatures are likely to stay exceptionally high in most areas of the province.
It warned that the extreme weather could cause water stress to the standing crops, vegetables, and orchards.
“The growers should manage crop water, while the people should avoid unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight,” the communique said.
The authority has put provincial health and medical services, paramedics, and rescue department on alert and directed them to make necessary arrangements in this regard.
