KARACHI: Strong dusty winds blew across the city on Saturday after development of a pressure gradient — or the rate of change of pressure between two places — causing inconvenience not only to commuters but also to those suffering from respiratory problems.

An official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department told Dawn that a low pressure gradient formed in the already existing weather system was responsible for the presence of dust particles in the wind and reduced visibility to one kilometre in the afternoon.

However, weather conditions improved later in the day with visibility rising to 2.5 kilometres.

South-westerly winds from Balochistan blew at a speed of 10 nautical miles per hour (or 18.5 kilometres per hours), he added.

The minimum and maximum temperature on Saturday was 19 degrees Celsius and 29.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Humidity — a measure of the amount of moisture in the air — dropped to 17 per cent on Saturday from 65pc on Friday.

The Met Office forecast fair/partly cloudy weather with hazy/misty morning on Sunday. The minimum temperature on Sunday would range between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.

Medical experts have advised the general public, especially those suffering from chronic conditions, respiratory illnesses or allergies, to stay indoors in the dusty weather as they were at a high risk of contracting infections.

Dust, they said, consisted of fine particles floating in the air, which could get into the lungs, harm sensitive tissues and trigger allergic reactions or asthma attacks.

“Extra care is required with people having respiration infections or any type of allergy and they should wear a dust mask when they step outdoors. Medical help should immediately be sought if symptoms like coughing, runny nose, watering of the eyes, sore throat and sneezing develop,” said Dr Waqar Sagheer, a consultant general physician associated with the Aga Khan University Hospital.

People should avoid drinking and eating anything cold and sour including tomato ketchups, he added.

“Gargling is an effective way to kill germs and soothe a sore throat. Also drink a lot of water to keep the body hydrated and pray for rain that could settle the dust and clear the air,” he said.

An ENT specialist, Dr Shaukat Malik, who is the social secretary of the Pakistan Medical Association, said that people with nose, throat and sinus problems need to exercise caution in this weather.

“Patients with allergic rhinitis are likely to suffer more if they didn’t take any precautionary measure while normal people can develop viral flu. Also, elderly people and infants are more vulnerable to infections in this weather and require extra care,” he said, adding that wearing a dust mask was an effective way to avoid bacterial and viral infections.

The recent spell of rain, he said, had improved the weather conditions and caused patients with respiratory problems to heave a sigh of relief. “Before the rain spell, I was daily examining a large number of patients but their number dropped gradually,” he said.

This year, he said, weather was still a bit cold in March, though usually the weather got hot by this time.

Giving some health tips, Dr Malik said that soups especially with chicken and honey improved human body’s immunity level. Besides, fruit was a good source of vitamin C that helped strengthen the respiratory function.

“The nose and the sinuses are the first line of defence of our respiratory system. A simple nasal wash is the most cheapest and effective way to prevent many infections,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2015

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