The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) lacks the equipment to predict extreme weather conditions such as heat and cold waves, strong dust storms and cyclone. An official from Ministry of Climate Change said that environment has never been a priority for the government which is why PMD does not have a proper strategy to deal with extreme weather conditions. Currently, the weather forecasts are based on general perceptions and weather predictions of neighbouring countries.
Pakistan has witnessed the impact of global climate change in the past few months. In April, a mini cyclone killed around 44 people in Peshawar. In the past four days, more than 700 people were killed in Karachi because of an extreme heatwave. In such a scenario, early precautionary measures can prevent deaths but PMD’s forecast system does not have the ability to predict upcoming extreme weather conditions.
Pervaiz Amir, a former member of the prime minister’s taskforce on climate change, said, “The tenacious heatwave in Karachi could result in heavy rainfalls in some parts of the country and causes heavy losses. This should not be taken lightly. We need to be prepared to deal with the after-effects.”
The ill-equipped PMD may hinder Government’s plan to use cloud seeding technology for artificial rains. Keep following TechJuice for more updates.
Source: Express Tribune
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