Church to the fore in aiding victims of Pakistan’s deadly heatwave
Lahore (AsiaNews) - "Give electricity, give water to the people of Karachi." This was the cry of protest from a group of workers on June 25 in front of the Lahore press club, in Pakistan. They accuse the government of failing to deal with the consequences of an exceptional heat wave that hit the city of Karachi this week.
According to official figures, at least 1,000 people died in the capital of the Sindh province (the hardest hit) because of the high temperatures which touch 45 degrees, the highest in 15 years. The situation has been aggravated because the heat wave coincided with the period of Ramadan, when the faithful Muslims fast from food and water from sunrise to sunset.
The demonstrators were protesting mainly because in the city of Karachi - a megalopolis of 20 million inhabitants - last Saturday there was a power outage that lasted eight hours which prevented the use of electricity and air conditioners. Continuous power outages have also caused a water shortage.
The 30 workers belonging to the Awami National Party [AWP, leftist party representing the ethnic Pashtuns in Pakistan - ed], denounced the failure of the K-Electric [Karachi Electric Supply Company Ltd, the largest supplier of electricity city - ed], already confirmed by Amjad Gulzar, Executive Secretary of Caritas Pakistan.
According to the protesters, the solution is to "nationalize the K-Electric". Farooq Tariq, general secretary of the party, told AsiaNews: "We are appalled by the government’s indifference. They are only playing the blame game; there was no warning from Pakistan Meteorological Department. No steps were taken to combat the climate change, it is too little too late now. The concerned minister is a former labor leader and has no background of dealing with issues related to global warming".
Meanwhile, Karachi churches are using their resources to offset the electrical shortages in parishes. The local Caritas is organizing the supply of bottled water in the medical camps where they are treating patients suffering from heat stroke.
Fr. Saleh Diego, director of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, reports that the poor are suffering most. The priest says: "Political and religious parties have erected tents on the roadside but the army medical tents [sent by the government - Ed] are better equipped. People are desperate; provision of basic facilities like electricity and water could have saved lives. People are getting ill and government should address these concern on emergency basis. I meet the Karachi commissioner and request for restoring electricity in areas where patients are housing".
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07/05/2024 19:32
