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| Heatwave and Heatstroke Memories from Personal Experience |
Heatwave and Heatstroke: Memories from Personal Experience
This week, many parts of Pakistan and
India are experiencing an intense heatwave and unbearable temperature. Due to this, a heatstroke
alert has been issued by the concerned authorities and departments in many
areas. Educated and conscientious people are constantly warning of the dangers
and precautions to be taken to the extent of their circle of influence to avoid
possible harm.
There was nothing dangerous or
frightening if it were just a matter of routine warnings, but the fact is that
this extreme heat situation is not just normal because over the last few years
it has been more or less unusual climate change is happening around the world.
Pakistan is one of the top countries most affected by climate change.
Causes and effects of climate change include global warming, deforestation, ever-expanding network of concrete buildings and coal roads, declining rainfall, dry and barren land, rapid fall in groundwater levels, sudden melting of glaciers, declining yields of orchards, crops, and agricultural commodities, etc. as common factors in this regard. One consequence of all these factors is the increasing heat in the Earth's climate, which is becoming increasingly dangerous.
This changed result
began with temperatures warmer than before, then increased with the onset of
summer, so that in many areas the summer lasts for about ten months of the year,
and the duration and intensity of winter are continuously decreasing. As the intensity and duration of the summer
are increased, more intensity came in the form of heatwaves, which caused the
feeling of heat to turn into a scorching state, and this caused the moisture
and water to dry out very quickly. Now, after the heatwave, the stage of
heatstroke is being faced. Heatstroke is a condition caused by heatwaves. The heatstroke has states such as nausea, dizziness, headache, fever, unbearable feeling
of heat, fatigue, too much sleep, fainting, and even more so the human brain
stops working.
Heatstroke incidents have been on the
rise in recent years. Heatstroke alerts are issued several times each year. Heatstroke
alerts have also been issued this week. There are many deaths due to it every
year. In 2015, in Karachi alone, more than thirteen hundred deaths were
reported due to a single stroke of heat.
In Pakistan, hot regions like Sindh
and Balochistan are most affected by scorching summer, extreme heat, heat waves,
and heatstroke. Temperatures in these areas exceed 50 degrees Celsius and its
real feel is recorded from 53 to 55 degrees Celsius. Even yesterday, the
temperature in Sanghar district of Sindh province was reported to be 48
degrees Celsius and its real feel was recorded to be 53 degrees Celsius.
According to meteorological sources, it is likely to intensify further today
and the temperature may exceed 50 degrees, with the real feel being as high as 54
or 55 degrees Celsius.
In our case, this situation becomes
even more serious because, in such extreme heat, the problem of power shortfall
increases the load shedding a lot. There are also areas where load shedding
lasts for more than ten hours, fourteen, sixteen, or even eighteen hours due to
which sources like fans, air coolers, air conditioners, etc. are not available.
This scenario worsens the situation to its extreme.
My Personal Experience
My life has been spent in hot areas,
so I didn't usually have much of a problem in hotter even in scorching and
burning like weather. I was one of those people who always ignored the
heatstroke warnings. But last year I personally suffered heatstroke and when I
came back to life after touching death, I was fully convinced and aware of its
painful seriousness.
The fact is that last year I had to go to university for several days in a row to submit my Ph.D. dissertation. I had a lot of papers and many copies of dissertations with me. The distance between university offices and buildings is also very long. Carrying this weight of more than twenty kilos, I had to climb several floors in a very short time, then I had to go to other offices immediately. A heatstroke warning was issued on those days, but I did not have enough time to wait for the heat to subside and for the weather to cool down. The reason for this is that in those days I had to wake up a lot for the final drafting and revision of the dissertation. Tea was often used to treat sleep deprivation. Excessive consumption of tea increased the body temperature and decreased the demand for water which was causing dehydration. Therefore, lack of sleep, increase in body temperature, dehydration, scorching heat of the open sun, carrying loads, heat waves, and worsening seawater humidity in Karachi resulted in abnormal conditions of suffocation. Somehow, I managed to submit my thesis on time, but the effects of the heatstroke on me lasted for about six months. The first two months were intolerably tough. It was as if I were lying in a burning furnace, in a state of constant sleep and semi-consciousness. It was impossible to look at the open sun or even the bright light because as soon as the light fell on the eyes it felt like the blood of the whole body was boiling the eyes and it seemed that the blood would come out of the eyes. The pain was constantly increasing and it was so severe that the more I tried to control it, the more it increased, the more tears flowed from my eyes, the more often I had a high fever, and the harder it was to work due to extreme fatigue.
Of course, it was all the result of my
carelessness or maybe in other words my over-efficiency in a state of
compulsion, but it was a very bitter experience because during that time there
was a day that made me think that maybe now this pain has become unbearable for
me. This severe condition lasted for about two and half hours. That was the
most painful day of my life. Because of my personal and social interests, I
told a few people about my condition and even did not let the rest of my colleagues
and co-workers know that I was going through this ordeal. I had to pretend strong
to show my strength and not to give my weakness to anyone. I think every wise
person can understand why I had to pretend in this manner. So, no need to
explain this gesture or hint. Now, all thanks to Allah Almighty Allah, I am
fine and well.
After facing all these difficulties,
Allah Almighty has given me the fruit of my struggle that all thanks to Allah
Almighty, I have become a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) today. All praises be to the
Almighty alone, the hard work that was done on the dissertation in those days
has proved to be very useful and InshaAllah my Ph.D. dissertation will be
published in book form very soon. I humbly ask Allah Almighty to grant His
acceptance and make it a source of benefit and salvation Herein and in the Hereafter.
Aameen.
From this personal experience, I
realized that heatstroke warnings should not be ignored. Rather, precautionary
measures should be taken instead.
Precautions to be Taken
The print and electronic media are
constantly broadcasting precautionary measures against heatstroke for public
awareness. Therefore, by whatever means these measures are known, they should
be followed.
Here are some common tips:
1. Avoid dehydration as it can lead to an increase in the risk of heatstroke. Therefore:
- Drink maximum amount of water as much as possible.
- Use drinks and foods that are cold in their effect.
- Use foods and fruits that contain a high amount of water, such as watermelon and melon.
2. Try to control the body temperature
to a normal level because the hypothalamus, a specific part of our brain and nervous
system, works to control the body temperature, but this process is slower and
occurs in a certain proportion. For some reason, the body temperature may rapidly
rise so much higher that our nervous system cannot control it, and thus a
person suffers from heatstroke.
So, take special care to control body
temperature:
- Get at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night, because getting enough sleep at night refreshes our nervous system and brain, which boosts the body's immune system and can help prevent fatigue or nervous tension. Anesthesia or quitting the nervous system can be prevented. The fresh and immune nervous system is very helpful in maintaining the body’s temperature.
- Reduce the intake of foods that produce more body heat.
- Avoid unnecessarily outgoings during the day and especially in the afternoon.
- In case it is necessary to go out, do your best to avoid the open sun.
- Try to cover your head with a hat, handkerchief, cloth, etc. Do not allow sunlight to fall directly on the head.
- Arrange for maximum bathing or at least pour water on the head.
3. If early signs of heatstroke
appear, do not ignore them. Try to control them from the beginning. If any
slight severity is felt in these signs, contact a specialist or the nearest
heatstroke center immediately.
The Most Important Precaution
In addition to these outward and apparent precautions and means, as Muslims, we should all pray to Allah Almighty, as a real and spiritual source, to protect us in this world and the Hereafter from all harms, protect us from natural calamities and hardships and protect us from the heat of the grave and the final Day of Judgment, and from the fire of Hell. Aameen.
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