Pakistan's Punjab says ongoing heat wave likely to continue till Thursday
ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan's Punjab said this week that the ongoing heat wave in the country's most populous province is likely to continue till Thursday.
Pakistan's Meteorological Department last week forecast that the ongoing heat wave in the country will continue throughout the Eid Al-Adha holidays . It said day temperatures are likely to remain 5°C to 7°C above normal in the upper half (central & upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan).
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has faced increasingly frequent extreme weather events in recent years, including deadly heatwaves and devastating floods.
'Provincial Disaster Management Authority Punjab has cautioned that current heat wave will likely to continue in the province till Thursday,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said in a report on Monday. 'He said that the heat wave may be severe in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan of South Punjab.'
Director General of PDMA Punjab Irfan Ali Kathia said that under the chief minister's directions, the supply of water is being ensured in the Cholistan desert region located in southern Punjab. He warned that special care of the children, elderly and the sick should be taken during this time period.
Pakistan experienced its most recent heatwave in May but no loss of life was reported.
In June 2024, nearly 700 people died in less than a week during a severe heatwave in the country, with most fatalities reported in the port city of Karachi and other parts of the southern Sindh province.
A similar heatwave in 2015 claimed over 2,000 lives in Pakistan's largest city Karachi alone, while catastrophic floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 people dead and displaced over 33 million across the country.
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