2015 Pakistan heat wave
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
  Karachi 45 °C (113 °F) Turbat 49 °C (120 °F) Larkana 49 °C (120 °F) Sibi 49 °C (120 °F) A map marking significantly affected cities | |
| Date | Since June 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Pakistan |
| Casualties | |
| As of 22 June 2015[update], there were more than 260 deaths[1] | |
In June 2015, Pakistan was struck by a severe heat wave. As of 22 June 2015, it has caused the deaths of at least 260 people mostly in Karachi,[1][2][3][4] where on June 21, temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius, which is the highest-recorded temperature in Pakistan in the past 15 years.[1][5] The heat wave occurred during the fasting month of Ramadan[6] when the electricity grid crashed during the first day of Ramadan which left scores dead.[7] The 2015 heat wave has had the highest recorded temperatures since 1979.
Background
A former director general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA), Asif Shuja said, "There has been a rise in the earth’s average temperature from 15.5°C to 16.2°C over the last 100 years due to which we are experiencing such extreme weather conditions both in summers and winters." "The last 30 years – from 1993-2012 – had been warmer than the last 1,400 years. Scientists envisage a rise of 1-6.67°C in temperature till 2100 which will be disastrous," he added. Deforestation, growing number of road vehicles and rapid urbanisation contributed to the climate change, Shuja said.[8]
Affected areas
Karachi
In Karachi alone, 132 alone died and majority of those are elderly people and the homeless due to suffocation, dehydration and heat strokes. In Karachi, frequent power outages have also compounded people's woes and led to violent protests in several parts across the city.[6][9]
Thatta
From interior Sindh, five people died in Thatta and four in Tharparkar.
Tharparker
A health official reported deaths of a man, an infant and two children adding that the desert district has been without electricity since 19 June.[8]
Relief efforts
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif warned electric supply companies that he would not tolerate power outages during Ramadan. Karachi University postponed its exams for at least one month due to the intense heatwave.[10][11] Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced that emergency has been declared in all the government hospitals of Karachi and other cities in Sindh.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Heatwave in southern Pakistan kills 260". Times of India. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "A Heat Wave in Pakistan Has Killed Around 140 People". Times. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Heatwave in Pakistan's Sindh province leaves 120 dead". BBC. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Heatwave devastates Karachi, other parts of Sindh; at least 136 dead". Dawn. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Pakistan heat wave claims at least 140 lives in Karachi". CNN. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ a b c "Heatwave in Pakistan's Sindh province leaves 141 dead". Economic Times. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Heat wave kills more than 120 in Pakistan's Karachi". Reuters. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Heat wave: Under scorching sun, Pakistan swelters". The Express Tribune. 21 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Pakistan: Sindh heatwave claims 140 lives mostly in Karachi". IB TImes. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Heatwave kills 90 in Karachi as residents grapple with power outages". Express Tribune. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ^ "Heatwave kills more than 120 in Pakistan". Telegraph. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.