Heatwave, Inequality, and Pakistan’s Crisis of Priorities
Asem Mustafa Awan
Islamabad: As Pakistan endures yet another brutal heatwave, images of children bathing in polluted spillways reflect a grim truth: the country’s poorest continue to suffer in silence while systemic failures mount.
In the shadow of newly passed budgets and rhetorical claims of reform, the sweltering heat has become a deadly reminder of the disconnect between policy promises and public reality.
A recent World Bank report states that over 45% of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line. Experts warn the actual figure may be significantly higher. For those in this widening margin, heatwaves aren’t just seasonal discomforts—they’re existential threats.
Reports have emerged of minors drowning in streams across various cities, attempting to cool themselves in absence of any public facility. In one case, three young girls slipped and drowned while trying to relieve their burning feet. In another, four individuals lost their lives in a stream. These are not isolated tragedies—they are symptoms of neglect.
Urban infrastructure routinely collapses under mild pressure. A couple of hours of rain floods streets and homes alike. Sewerage backs up, potable water becomes scarce, and public health hazards multiply. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and cooling centers are few or non-existent. Despite repeated assurances of climate preparedness and disaster readiness, the government’s own performance is washed away in every downpour.
Read More: https://thepenpk.com/when-aid-fails-the-people/
Electricity shortages add to the crisis. Power outages, particularly during peak hours, render ceiling fans and cooling appliances useless. Meanwhile, revised electricity tariffs have stirred widespread anger. Viral images of digital meters and calls to boycott over-200 unit bills reflect growing frustration. Many households now face what critics are calling “state-sanctioned extortion”—a situation where even basic utilities have become unaffordable luxuries.
As the privileged enjoy uninterrupted power through solar panels and private generators, the majority struggle to survive. Children turn to stagnant, animal-shared water bodies for relief. These water sources—often breeding grounds for disease and infested with leeches—serve as impromptu swimming pools. The risk is immense, yet the alternative is heatstroke.
While macroeconomic indicators and donor negotiations dominate headlines, the day-to-day cost of inaction is counted in human lives. In heat-stricken areas, people have no choice but to sleep on rooftops, queue for water, and mourn those who succumbed to the heat. The death toll from previous heatwaves, such as the one in Karachi in 2015, crossed 1,200. With climate change accelerating, this risk will only grow.
Read More: https://thepenpk.com/pakistans-climate-crisis-a-fight-for-survival-amid-deadly-heatwaves-and-floods/
Pakistan ranks among the five most climate-vulnerable countries globally. Yet climate adaptation has largely remained a buzzword in official circles. Public parks, shaded shelters, water stations, and swimming facilities—amenities critical for surviving extreme heat—remain absent from urban planning.
The divide is unmistakable. While the elite live in insulated comfort, the rest are asked to pay more, expect less, and suffer quietly. These disparities are not accidental—they are systemic. Every child in a pond, every family buried under bills, every funeral held in a heat-struck slum is a footnote to a larger policy failure.
Until the state acknowledges the urgency of inclusive infrastructure, universal access to utilities, and equitable climate adaptation, no budget figure or reform package can offer meaningful relief. What’s needed is not more promises—but protection, access, and dignity.
The question for policymakers is no longer when the next heatwave will strike—but how many more must die before real change begins.
Photo Credit: APP
The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.
Asem Mustafa Awan has extensive reporting experience with leading national and international media organizations. He has also contributed to reference books such as the Alpine Journal and the American Alpine Journal, among other international publications.
