Death Toll Soars in 'Unbelievable' Pakistan Heat Wave
State of emergency declared for hospitals as heat stroke and dehydration claim hundreds of lives
A deadly heat wave spreading through southern Pakistan has killed nearly 800 people in just a few days--a number that threatens to rise as temperatures remain unusually high this week.
At least 740 people have died of dehydration, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses in Karachi, the country's largest city, since Saturday, with various sources estimating the death toll to have hit anywhere from 744 to 775. Local media reports that an additional 38 people have died in other provinces.
As temperatures hit 45 °C (113°F) on Tuesday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared a state of emergency for hospitals. Many have hit full capacity, and thousands need care for heat stroke and dehydration.
Al Jazeera writes:
"The mortuary is overflowing, they are piling bodies one on top of the other," said Dr Seemin Jamali, a senior official at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the city's largest government hospital.
"We are doing everything that is humanly possible here," she said, adding that since Saturday, the JPMC had seen more than 5,000 patients with heat-related symptoms. Of those, 384 patients had died, she said.
"Until [Tuesday] night, it was unbelievable. We were getting patients coming into the emergency ward every minute," she said.
Among those who have died, most have been either elderly or poor, officials say.
A former director of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Asif Shuja, said earlier this week that the soaring temperatures are an impact of climate change, fueled by rapid urbanization, deforestation, and car use. "The last 30 years - from 1993-2012 - had been warmer than the last 1,400 years. Scientists envisage a rise of 1-6.67degC in temperature till 2100, which will be disastrous," he told the Express Tribune.
However, as Daily Pakistan points out, a study conducted by the Lancet/UCL commission this week found that only 15 percent of Pakistani citizens believe climate change is a major threat, while 40 percent are unaware or deny its existence. That makes Pakistan the "least aware" country in the South Asian region of the threats of climate change.
Commentator Juan Cole adds:
Average temperatures are set to go up by at least 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit because of the carbon dioxide we have already spilled into the atmosphere by burning petroleum, coal and natural gas. That will put Pakistan's temperatures up to more like 114. It will go on up from there if we don't find ways to stop emitting so much CO2.
Discontent is rising, too. Many residents are reportedly angry with some of the government measures being taken, such as power cuts, which they say prevent locals from using air conditioning and fans.
BBC reports:
Hot weather is not unusual during summer months in Pakistan, but prolonged power cuts seem to have made matters worse, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani reports.
Sporadic angry protests have taken place in parts of Karachi, with some people blaming the government and Karachi's main power utility, K-Electric, for failing to avoid deaths, our correspondent adds.
The prime minister had announced that there would be no electricity cuts but outages have increased since the start of Ramadan, he reports.
Three weeks ago, India faced a similar deadly heat wave, which saw 1,200 people killed as temperatures hit nearly 50degC (122degF).
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A deadly heat wave spreading through southern Pakistan has killed nearly 800 people in just a few days--a number that threatens to rise as temperatures remain unusually high this week.
At least 740 people have died of dehydration, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses in Karachi, the country's largest city, since Saturday, with various sources estimating the death toll to have hit anywhere from 744 to 775. Local media reports that an additional 38 people have died in other provinces.
As temperatures hit 45 °C (113°F) on Tuesday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared a state of emergency for hospitals. Many have hit full capacity, and thousands need care for heat stroke and dehydration.
Al Jazeera writes:
"The mortuary is overflowing, they are piling bodies one on top of the other," said Dr Seemin Jamali, a senior official at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the city's largest government hospital.
"We are doing everything that is humanly possible here," she said, adding that since Saturday, the JPMC had seen more than 5,000 patients with heat-related symptoms. Of those, 384 patients had died, she said.
"Until [Tuesday] night, it was unbelievable. We were getting patients coming into the emergency ward every minute," she said.
Among those who have died, most have been either elderly or poor, officials say.
A former director of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Asif Shuja, said earlier this week that the soaring temperatures are an impact of climate change, fueled by rapid urbanization, deforestation, and car use. "The last 30 years - from 1993-2012 - had been warmer than the last 1,400 years. Scientists envisage a rise of 1-6.67degC in temperature till 2100, which will be disastrous," he told the Express Tribune.
However, as Daily Pakistan points out, a study conducted by the Lancet/UCL commission this week found that only 15 percent of Pakistani citizens believe climate change is a major threat, while 40 percent are unaware or deny its existence. That makes Pakistan the "least aware" country in the South Asian region of the threats of climate change.
Commentator Juan Cole adds:
Average temperatures are set to go up by at least 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit because of the carbon dioxide we have already spilled into the atmosphere by burning petroleum, coal and natural gas. That will put Pakistan's temperatures up to more like 114. It will go on up from there if we don't find ways to stop emitting so much CO2.
Discontent is rising, too. Many residents are reportedly angry with some of the government measures being taken, such as power cuts, which they say prevent locals from using air conditioning and fans.
BBC reports:
Hot weather is not unusual during summer months in Pakistan, but prolonged power cuts seem to have made matters worse, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani reports.
Sporadic angry protests have taken place in parts of Karachi, with some people blaming the government and Karachi's main power utility, K-Electric, for failing to avoid deaths, our correspondent adds.
The prime minister had announced that there would be no electricity cuts but outages have increased since the start of Ramadan, he reports.
Three weeks ago, India faced a similar deadly heat wave, which saw 1,200 people killed as temperatures hit nearly 50degC (122degF).
A deadly heat wave spreading through southern Pakistan has killed nearly 800 people in just a few days--a number that threatens to rise as temperatures remain unusually high this week.
At least 740 people have died of dehydration, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses in Karachi, the country's largest city, since Saturday, with various sources estimating the death toll to have hit anywhere from 744 to 775. Local media reports that an additional 38 people have died in other provinces.
As temperatures hit 45 °C (113°F) on Tuesday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared a state of emergency for hospitals. Many have hit full capacity, and thousands need care for heat stroke and dehydration.
Al Jazeera writes:
"The mortuary is overflowing, they are piling bodies one on top of the other," said Dr Seemin Jamali, a senior official at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the city's largest government hospital.
"We are doing everything that is humanly possible here," she said, adding that since Saturday, the JPMC had seen more than 5,000 patients with heat-related symptoms. Of those, 384 patients had died, she said.
"Until [Tuesday] night, it was unbelievable. We were getting patients coming into the emergency ward every minute," she said.
Among those who have died, most have been either elderly or poor, officials say.
A former director of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Asif Shuja, said earlier this week that the soaring temperatures are an impact of climate change, fueled by rapid urbanization, deforestation, and car use. "The last 30 years - from 1993-2012 - had been warmer than the last 1,400 years. Scientists envisage a rise of 1-6.67degC in temperature till 2100, which will be disastrous," he told the Express Tribune.
However, as Daily Pakistan points out, a study conducted by the Lancet/UCL commission this week found that only 15 percent of Pakistani citizens believe climate change is a major threat, while 40 percent are unaware or deny its existence. That makes Pakistan the "least aware" country in the South Asian region of the threats of climate change.
Commentator Juan Cole adds:
Average temperatures are set to go up by at least 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit because of the carbon dioxide we have already spilled into the atmosphere by burning petroleum, coal and natural gas. That will put Pakistan's temperatures up to more like 114. It will go on up from there if we don't find ways to stop emitting so much CO2.
Discontent is rising, too. Many residents are reportedly angry with some of the government measures being taken, such as power cuts, which they say prevent locals from using air conditioning and fans.
BBC reports:
Hot weather is not unusual during summer months in Pakistan, but prolonged power cuts seem to have made matters worse, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani reports.
Sporadic angry protests have taken place in parts of Karachi, with some people blaming the government and Karachi's main power utility, K-Electric, for failing to avoid deaths, our correspondent adds.
The prime minister had announced that there would be no electricity cuts but outages have increased since the start of Ramadan, he reports.
Three weeks ago, India faced a similar deadly heat wave, which saw 1,200 people killed as temperatures hit nearly 50degC (122degF).