The 2024 Pakistan heat wave is a currently ongoing extreme heat event occurring in June 2024 that led to the death of over 568 Pakistani citizens primarily in Southern Pakistan.

Background

The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported Severe Heatwave conditions occurring on 21–31 May 2024 through most of the country, and primarily in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. Temperature highs rose to in Karachi and in

Thatta Thatta ( sd, ٺٽو; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh. Thatta was the medieval capital of Sindh, and served as the seat of power for three successive dynasties. Thatta's historic significance has yielded several monuments in and ...

Badin Badin ( Sindhi and ur, ) is the main city and capital of Badin District in Sindh, Pakistan. It lies east of the Indus River. It is the 87th largest city in Pakistan. Badin is often called 'Sugar State' due to its production of sugar. Badin ...

and

Sujawal Sujawal ( ur, ), town is headquarter of Sujawal district of Sindh. Previously, it was Sub Divisional Headquarter of Sujawal Sub Division of Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The Government of Sindh has granted Sujawal the status of a distric ...

districts, causing 2,547 reported instances of heat stroke and 133 livestock deaths. The

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

(IRC) warned that heat waves would exacerbate the consequences of flood and drought, causing food insecurity for over 8.6 million people in up to 26 of Pakistan's 166 districts, and demanded that the world pay attention to the ongoing climate crisis. Starting on 20 June 2024, temperatures in Sindh began to rise due to a prolonged heat wave, with temperatures in Karachi rising above throughout the weekend and reaching on 25 June. The heat was coupled with high humidity, causing the temperature to feel the same as . Extreme temperatures were made more difficult to bear due to regular

power cuts A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an electricity ...

that cut off

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

and fans in many regions. Heat wave camps were set up in order to alleviate injuries and deaths from the heatwave.

Casualties

From 20 to 26 June 2024, 568 deaths were reported as a result of extreme temperatures, 141 of whom died on 25 June alone. The Edhi ambulance service reported that it was taking roughly 30-40 people to the

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

morgue daily. Several of the deceased in Karachi were homeless or suspected drug addicts who showed no signs of prior injury. At least 427 people died in Karachi, with the four morgues in the city reporting that there was no more space to keep bodies due to their rapid influx.

Civil Hospital Karachi Civil Hospital Karachi, officially known as Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, is a 1,900-bed tertiary care public hospital that imparts both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training. It is one of the teaching hospitals af ...

reported that 267 people were taken in due to

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

between 23 and 26 June, of whom twelve died as a result. Head of the emergency department Dr. Imran Sarwar Sheikh reported that most of the casualties were reported to be in their 60s-70s, with some in their 20s. He stated that several of the patients were working outside. According to the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

, at least 5,358 patients were admitted to hospitals for heat-related illnesses, and 158 livestock were killed.

References

{{Heat wave, state=autocollapse 2024 heat waves Heat waves in Pakistan June 2024 events in Pakistan 2024 disasters in Pakistan 2024 meteorology 2020s heat waves 2024 natural disasters Natural disasters in Pakistan History of Karachi (1947–present) Heat waves in Asia Climate change in Pakistan

Background

Casualties

See also

References