June 27, 2015
News
Scientists in South Asia struggle to understand heatwave
Scientists in India and Pakistan say higher temperatures were just one factor behind the recent heatwaves and other causes have yet to be established.
They say low air pressure, high humidity and an unusually absent wind played key roles in making the heat unbearable but they do not know why such conditions prevailed at this time of the year.
The temperature forecast for the heatwave peak in Karachi last week was 43C, according to meteorologists in Pakistan. The prediction was accurate but other factors made the heat feel unbearable, they say.
More than 1,000 people have died in Pakistan in the worst heatwave in three decades. In neighbouring India, the official death figure exceeded 2,000, although reported cases were put at more than 3,000.
"Heatwave frequency has increased since the middle of the 20th century in large parts of Asia." Scientists say heatwaves have not been given due attention despite that knowledge. "And that is because it is a slow evolving scenario unlike other fast events like tropical cyclone or flooding," says Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, a climate scientist and special adviser to the World Meteorological Organisation for Asia.
"So, when you have something that evolves slowly, it is not addressed urgently or with seriousness.”This has been the case with heatwaves in our region."
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk