Climate Change
Pakistan meteorologists warn of possible heat waves over next 3 months
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned of above normal temperatures and chances of heatwave episodes during March to May, Dawn News reported.
According to the PMD’s latest advisory issued on Friday, normal rainfall is forecast for this people although the northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and most of Gilgit Baltistan may receive slightly below-normal precipitation.
According to Dawn News, seasonal mean temperatures are expected to remain above normal over most parts of the country with chances of heatwave episodes.
Because of expected above normal temperatures, water stress is predicted for agriculture and domestic needs during the forthcoming season, Dawn cited the PMD as saying.
Prior to the PMD alert, weather expert Jawad Memon predicted that the summer season in Karachi could be extremely hot this year as the temperatures in the month of February were above normal.
Memon told Geo News that the rising temperature in February indicated extremely hot weather in the coming days.
Pakistan has been witnessing an unusual rise in temperatures, causing longer and more intense summers and heavy rains due to global warming.
Last year, the country was devastated by catastrophic floods following monster monsoons.
Climate Change
Afghanistan a victim of climate change, says Muttaqi
The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, met with Edem Wosornu, UNOCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy on Monday in Kabul and said although Afghanistan plays no role in the “destruction of the climate”, the country continues to suffer from this phenomenon.
Muttaqi appealed to countries contributing to the climate change problem to act responsibly as they are not doing anything in terms of compensating countries suffering the effects of climate change.
This comes just days after heavy rains claimed the lives of over 300 people in northern Afghanistan as flash floods hit the area.
Muttaqi meanwhile also said that Afghanistan should be allowed to participate at global climate change meetings and the country should have access to funding.
Wosornu in turn expressed her willingness to send UNOCHA teams to flood affected areas as soon as possible.
She also said they try to keep humanitarian needs and politics separate.
Climate Change
Rescuers race to reach those trapped by floods in China’s Guangdong
WATCH: Rescuers on boats in China’s flood-ravaged Guangdong province raced to evacuate trapped residents, carrying some elderly people by piggyback from their homes and deploying helicopters to save villagers caught in rural landslides.
The southern Chinese province has been battered by unusually heavy, sustained and widespread rainfall since Thursday, with powerful storms ushering in an earlier-than-normal start to the region’s annual flooding season, Reuters reported.
Eleven people were missing in Guangdong by Monday morning, the state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported without giving further details.
Across the province, 53,741 people have been relocated, with 12,256 people being urgently resettled, Xinhua reported, citing the provincial government.
The cities of Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen to the west and north of the provincial capital Guangzhou have been particularly hard hit.
In Qingyuan, houses and shops along the Bei River were submerged as the Pearl River tributary swelled, local media reported.
Aerial footage showed flood waters overwhelming a nearby town, leaving only roofs and treetops untouched.
Rescuers in Qingyuan tackled muddy waters, neck-high in some areas, to extract residents, including an elderly lady trapped in waist-deep water in an apartment building, videos on social media showed.
Other social media videos showed water gushing through roads and vehicles in disarray.
In Shaoguan, landslides trapped villagers who had to be rescued by helicopter while other rescuers traveled on foot to reach cut-off disaster sites, Reuters reported.
The Chinese military also stepped in to help clear roads.
The rains eased early on Monday, but some schools in the province were suspended.
Powerful thunderstorms are expected to return later in the week after a brief respite, marking an unusually early wet spell that is more typical in the months of May and June.
Climate Change
Massive river flooding expected in China, threatening millions
Major rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China’s Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government on Sunday to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people.
Calling the situation “grim”, local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, state broadcaster CCTV news said on Sunday.
China’s water resource ministry issued an emergency advisory, CCTV reported.
Guangdong officials urged departments in all localities and municipalities to begin emergency planning to avert natural disasters and promptly disperse disaster relief funds and materials to ensure affected people have food, clothing, water and a place to live, Reuters reported.
The province, a major exporter and one of China’s main commercial and trading centers, has seen torrid downpours for several days and strong winds due to severe convective weather, which has also affected other parts of China.
A 12-hour stretch of heavy rain, starting from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) Saturday, battered the central and northern parts of the province in the cities of Zhaoqing, Shaoguan, Qingyuan and Jiangmen.
Almost 20,000 people have been evacuated in Qingyuan, according to state media, and some power facilities in Zhaoqing were damaged, cutting power to some places, Reuters reported.
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