2015 was marked as the year when an unforgiving heat wave struck the southern parts of Pakistan with mercury levels touching above 40C (104F), affecting large parts of Sindh and Baluchistan. With temperatures exceeding a boiling point of 45C, Karachi suffered the brunt of the heat with over 1300 deaths being reported within a span of a week. Hospitals and aid workers were soon overwhelmed, unable to cope with the unprecedented death toll.
This dark passage in the recent history of Karachi overshadowed what is usually a month of peace, reflection, love and compassion – the month of Ramadan. Among the chaos, sorrow and despair, the people of Karachi in the spirit of Ramadan rose up to give a helping hand to those who needed it most. The city witnessed a surge of people of all ages coming out on the streets with cold water bottles, ice and food for iftari, providing help to all those who needed it most.
This year too, Ramadan Atlas Battery Limited – Pakistan’s leading battery brand is helping spread the spirit of compassion and goodwill forward by providing the people of Karachi a moment of peace and relaxation, a place of shelter where they’ll be protected by the unforgiving summer sun while waiting for public transportation. Atlas Battery has transformed numerous bus stops across Karachi into comfortable breezy resting places featuring state-of-the-art Misting Fans powered by AGS Batteries to help alleviate the onset of heat-strokes.
Given Karachi’s recent history with heat waves it is extremely important that this Ramadan, we take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from dehydration and the dangers it brings. Make no mistake, heat can be very dangerous.
The body’s normal core temperature is 37-38C, when subject to heat, your body temperature increases to 39-40C, during this period the brain tells the muscles to slow down during which fatigue sets in. At 40-41C heat exhaustion is likely to occur with any further increase in body temperature leading to vital organs in the body shutting down.
With temperatures hovering in the high 30s this June along with the possibility of the weather getting even hotter, such an initiative can go a long way in saving lives, and at the very least it can bring comfort to someone inspiring them to help others no matter how big or small the gesture.
I’ve come across one of these AGS powered bus stops and I must say, it’s a sight to behold. To see people be able to relax with a smile on their faces while waiting for their public transportation is a drastic contrast to what I usually see and experience – commuters frustrated and exhausted by the scorching heat during their fast.
This initiative by Atlas Battery Limited is sure to make Karachiites’ Ramadan a lot more bearable under the sun while helping alleviate the dangers of extended periods of heat exposure to the public commuters of Karachi.
Here’s a list of all the bus stop locations equipped with AGS powered Misting Fans:
- Boat basin
- Shahrah e Faisal, FTC to Baloch Fortune Centre
- PIDC opposite PC
- Karsaz Shahrah e Faisal to Stadium
- Jauhar Mor Alladin to Millennium Mall
- Gulshan Moti Mahal to Nipa
- Liaqat National Stadium to New Town
- Five Star to Haidery
- Board Office to Golimar
- Mashriq Center Expo to Stadium, opposite Mashriq centre
- Bait Ul Mukaram Nipa to Hassan Square
So the next time you need to take the bus somewhere in the scorching Karachi heat, relax at an AGS powered bus stop near you, I know I will.
