Extreme heat crisis unfolds across Pakistan and India, millions at risk

Pakistan and India, with temperatures soaring far above seasonal averages throughout recent weeks. Environmentalists point out that "human-caused climate change" has severely increased the frequency of such periods in the region, making such cycles no longer an exceptional occurrence.

In southern Pakistan, especially across Sindh, daytime temperatures during April and May have regularly climbed between 44°C and 46°C, forcing many residents indoors during peak afternoon hours and placing heavy strain on outdoor workers, transport staff and farming communities, as Pakistani media report.

The city of Karachi — usually cooled by breezes from the Arabian Sea — has also struggled under the extreme conditions. During the first half of May, temperatures exceeded 40°C on multiple occasions. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Karachi recently recorded a maximum temperature of 44.1°C, the city’s highest reading since May 31, 2018, when temperatures reached 46°C. Meteorologists warn even hotter days could still lie ahead.

Conditions have been particularly harsh in Karachi’s coastal neighbourhoods, where extended electricity cuts and water shortages have worsened the impact of the heat. Residents of Ibrahim Hyderi, one of the city’s largest fishing communities, say daily life is becoming increasingly difficult.

The city continues to carry painful memories of Karachi’s devastating 2015 heatwave, which killed thousands of people. A renewed rise in heat-related deaths during the summer of 2024 again exposed the city’s vulnerability to extreme weather.

Doctors have also reported a sharp increase in child patients arriving at hospitals since late April, with many being treated for dehydration, diarrhoea and stomach infections — illnesses commonly associated with extreme heat and unsafe water supplies.

India has likewise endured severe heatwave conditions in recent weeks, particularly across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and several northern and central regions, where temperatures in some cities have exceeded 45°C.

Authorities in multiple Indian states have issued heatwave warnings as soaring temperatures increase health risks, place pressure on electricity grids and disrupt daily life for millions of people.

Climate scientists say the repeated heatwaves affecting South Asia are part of a broader pattern of rising global temperatures and increasingly severe weather linked to climate change and rapid urbanisation.

The World Weather Attribution group analysed the current heatwave affecting Pakistan and India and concluded that “human-caused climate change approximately tripled the probability of an event like this happening, making it no longer exceptional in today’s climate. The same heat event would have been about 1°C cooler in a pre-industrial climate.”

By Tamilla Hasanova