By Anders Lorenzen

At the end of May, an extreme heatwave in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh exceeded 52 degrees C. It has hereby reached the highest reading of the summer so far and is inching close to the country’s all-time high of 54 C. 

In the town of Mohenjo Daro, famous for its archaeological sites dating back to 2500 BC, the temperatures peaked at 52.2 C, according to a senior official of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, it is also inching close to reaching its all-time high of 53.5 C. 

The town is already known for experiencing extremely hot summers and mild winters with low rainfall. Locals fear that as the heat trajectories are trending upwards, it will affect the town’s local economy with its normally busy shopping environment. This is because, on extremely hot days, people opt to stay indoors trying to stay cool.

For the past month, several regions across Asia have struggled with extreme heat which scientists have said are made much worse by climate change.

Extreme climate vulnerability

Rubina Khursheed Alam, coordinator on climate for Pakistan’s Prime Minister, highlighted just how vulnerable the country is to climate change: “Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change. We have witnessed above-normal rains, and floods.” He further explained that the government is running awareness campaigns dealing with the heatwaves.

As the heatwave subsided, another is predicted to hit other areas in Sindh, including the country’s capital Karachi, home to just over 17 million people.

Pakistan’s most recent heat record of 54 degrees C was set as recently as 2017 in the city of Turbat in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. With current forecasts, it is likely that 2024 could set a new unwelcome record.