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Catholics beat the heat as Pakistan swelters

Catholic organizations lend a helping hand as the country faces record-breaking temperatures
Parishioners enjoy free drinks on Pentecost Sunday at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore

Parishioners enjoy free drinks on Pentecost Sunday at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. (Photo: Kamran Chaudhry/UCA News)

Published: June 06, 2022 09:59 AM GMT
Updated: June 06, 2022 11:41 AM GMT

Tariq Masih and his friends prepared ice-cold lemonade as the prayers of Pentecost Sunday ended at Sacred Heart Cathedral of Lahore.

“Free lemonade. Just return the glass,” he shouted as parishioners rushed to the sabeel (a traditional stall providing refreshments) at the Marian grotto.  

The flavors included Black Salt, fondly called Kala Namak in local kitchens, mixed with oral rehydration salt, a glucose-based salt solution. More than 500 people, including elderly, were served at the sabeel on June 6. Last Sunday it was Rooh Afza or rose sherbet mixed with ice cubes.

“We keep changing the drinks to refresh the dedicated churchgoers amid a record-breaking heatwave. The sabeel will continue till the monsoon rains,” 43-year-old Masih told UCA News.

As a member of the Cathedral’s Khidmat (service) group, the Catholic sanitary worker pooled 200 rupees (about US$1) to finance 40 liters of beverage.

The group of 12, including teenagers, started the free drinks service last year after two middle-aged women fainted following a church service. 

The heatwave is estimated to have led to at least 90 deaths across India and Pakistan, according to media reports

“Church authorities have installed a generator to keep the fans running but we are running this stall on a self-help basis. It is especially aimed at keeping women and children healthy,” said Masih, wearing a Pentecost badge on his shirt. 

Church groups and organizations are running similar initiatives as soaring temperatures across Pakistan in recent weeks have forced schools to close, damaged crops, put pressure on energy supplies and kept residents indoors.

The health concerns are compounded by up to 12 hours of daily power cuts across a country facing a severe water shortage.

The heatwave is estimated to have led to at least 90 deaths across India and Pakistan, according to media reports. More than 50 sheep died due to the heatwave in the vast Cholistan Desert of Punjab province.

In Sindh province, Jacobabad, one of the hottest cities in the world, hit 51 degrees Celsius last month. At least three children died because of the severe heat in the Kaccho region of Sindh.

Tariq Masih (left) serves lemonade on Pentecost Sunday at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. (Photo: Kamran Chaudhry/UCA News)

Caritas steps in

Zoos in several cities have declared a "heatwave emergency" as caretakers rush to install air coolers and give ice blocks to animals to help them battle the scorching sun.

Under its emergency response program, Caritas Pakistan Karachi (CPK) is also spearheading a heatwave awareness campaign and relief activities in slums and schools of the seaport city.

The first session on prevention of heatstroke was held on May 14 with women in the Lalo Khet area of St. Philip's Parish.

“We are witnessing a heatwave similar to the one in 2015,” Mansha Noor, executive secretary of CPK, told UCA News. 

“Different spots have been identified to place water coolers and provide safe cold water to passerby in the jurisdiction of St. Michael’s, St. Paul's and St. John’s parishes of Karachi Archdiocese. Heatwave awareness flyers are also being distributed as well as shared on social media.”

“The effects here in Sindh are dramatic. Huge electricity demand and pressure on the power grid are affecting people when they need cooling most"

Pak Mission Society, a national relief and development organization managed by Christian professionals, set up a four-day heatstroke camp that served cold water and squash till May 16 at Kunri Christian Hospital in Umerkot, Sindh province. The society will hold a national conference in Islamabad on June 7 to explore "sustainable solutions to climate change" to mark World Environment Day.

Father Liam O'Callaghan, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) national coordinator from Hyderabad Diocese, expressed concern at the impact of the relentless, lethal heatwave across Pakist.

“The effects here in Sindh are dramatic. Huge electricity demand and pressure on the power grid are affecting people when they need cooling most. The hot temperatures are leading to higher dust and ozone levels, leading to high air pollution. The heat is also leading to more glacial melt in the northern areas, which could lead to flooding later,” the Irish Columban told UCA News.

“Unfortunately, it is not really on the political agenda at all here, and Pakistan has not committed to net-zero carbon targets in international agreements. About 60 percent of Pakistan’s energy comes from coal, oil and natural gas all leading directly to climate change,” he said.

“Better urban planning, planting trees, green spaces, improved water infrastructure, pollution control and more robust weather forecasting could all help ensure that fewer people suffer as temperatures rise.”

Father O'Callaghan is also worried for Christians in the Diocese of Hyderabad.

“Urban dwellers in densely populated areas often lack the infrastructure to survive the effects of the heat. Rural dwellers working mainly in agriculture jobs or menial jobs often work in the heat of the day for landlords. There has been a big increase in heat-related illnesses,” he said.

Much of the work of the ecology commission of Hyderabad over recent years has been focused on working with parish and school groups, helping them become aware of the environmental crisis and how it is connected to the health and economics of families.

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