Alerted by an impending heatwave, Pakistani authorities have created more than 1,000 shelters in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province. The mercury is expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of the rural province, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
“These shelter centers have been set up to offer assistance to people who will be affected and to help reduce incidents of heatstroke and other heat-related symptoms,” Ajay Kumar, deputy director of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, told AFP.
The shelters “also have rest areaswater and glucose to provide them to the people who will need them,” he added.
The heat wave It is expected to affect a large part of the country and intensify over the next week.
In Pakistan, heatwaves are often accompanied by power cuts, with some areas experiencing load shedding of up to 15 hours a day, according to Pakistani media.
Increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events
Pakistan is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which meteorologists attribute to climate change.
Schools across the province have already canceled annual exams scheduled for this week, including in Karachi, which has a population of more than 20 million.
“Women, who spend most of their time in the kitchen and in the fields in rural areas, are the most affected,” highlighted chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz.
In view of the heat wave, they are also concerns about livestock survival, Kumar added.