February 07, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 28, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 6: Some leading nations may reluctantly have recognised the effects of global warming just recently, but the resultant climate changes are already being witnessed in Pakistan which has been experiencing an extended cold wave with heavy snows and low temperature in the north of the country.

The southern parts of the country have not been spared either and, in fact, the recent cold wave has hit Sindh and Karachi particularly hard. According to Dr Qamaruzzaman Chaudhry of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the country is currently in the middle of an ‘active winter’ where the temperatures are not record-breaking but certainly unusual for early February.

As a result, in a city where winter has traditionally been nothing more than a brief blip on the seasonal radar, the cold weather and freezing winds have sent citizens scrambling for warm clothing and heaters. At the Landa Bazaar, business is roaring for vendors selling jackets, sweaters and scarves from carts piled high with second-hand items while shops that cater to customers with deeper pockets are seeing brisk business in electric heaters, heating pads and blankets.

Referring to the unusual cold, Dr Chaudhry told Dawn that in Karachi, the minimum temperatures currently being recorded average at around seven degrees centigrade whereas the usual for this time of the year is over 12 degrees centigrade. The situation is made worse by the wind chill factor.

“After the recent weather system that passed last week, northerly Siberian winds have started reaching Sindh after passing over the snows in Afghanistan and some parts of Balochistan,” he said. “The entire region – Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the Central Asian states – has experienced an active winter and unusually low temperatures this year.”

Asked whether the unusual temperatures could be linked to the connected issues of global warming and climate change, Dr Chaudhry pointed out that normal climate patterns across the world are being disturbed by climate change and Pakistan is no exception. “As a result, we have witnessed unusual weather such as heavy rainfalls and a tropical cyclone in the recent past and extreme events – cold/heat waves, extended drought or very heavy rains – are likely to occur with increasing frequency,” he said. “Climate change will affect our water resources, glaciers and rainfall patterns.”

On Wednesday, Karachi experienced the maximum temperature of 16.5 degrees centigrade and the minimum temperature of seven degrees centigrade with north-westerly winds hitting the city real hard.

According to the Met Office, Thursday will be even colder with the minimum temperature dropping to between four and six degrees centigrade.