In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change

Rabia fans her son, Manish Kumar, 10, as he lies in bed after having a bladder stone removed, during a heatwave, at Civil Hospital, Jacobabad, Pakistan, May 15, 2022. (REUTERS)
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Updated 14 June 2022
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In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change

  • Climate change poses significant threat to unempowered women in rural areas and urban slums
  • Studies show global temperatures have risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

JACOBABAD, Pakistan: Heavily pregnant Sonari toils under the burning sun in fields dotted with bright yellow melons in Jacobabad, which last month became the hottest city on Earth.
Her 17-year-old neighbor Waderi, who gave birth a few weeks ago, is back working in temperatures that can exceed 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), with her newborn lying on a blanket in the shade nearby so she can feed him when he cries.
“When the heat is coming and we’re pregnant, we feel stressed,” said Sonari, who is in her mid-20s.
These women in southern Pakistan and millions like them around the world are at the searing edge of climate change.
Pregnant women exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time have a higher risk of suffering complications, an analysis of 70 studies conducted since the mid-1990s on the issue found.
For every 1 degree Celsius in temperature rise, the number of stillbirths and premature deliveries increases by about 5 percent, according to the meta-analysis Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, which was carried out by several research institutions globally and published in the British Medical Journal in September 2020.
Cecilia Sorensen, director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, said the unfolding impact of global warming on the health of women was “highly underdocumented,” partly because extreme heat tended to exacerbate other conditions.
“We’re not associating health impacts on women and often times it’s because we’re not collecting data on it,” she said. “And often women in poverty are not seeking medical care.”
“Heat is a super big deal for pregnant women.”




Farmer Waderi, 17, fans her one-month-old son Amar Kumar during a heatwave, at home, on the outskirts of Jacobabad, Pakistan, May 17, 2022. (REUTERS)

Women are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures in poor countries on the frontlines of climate change because many have little choice but to work through their pregnancies and soon after giving birth, according to interviews with more than a dozen female residents in the Jacobabad area as well as half a dozen development and human rights experts.
Further adding to the risks, women in socially conservative Pakistan — and many other places — typically cook the family meals over hot stoves or open fires, often in cramped rooms with no ventilation or cooling.
“If you’re inside cooking next to a hot open fire you have that burden of that heat in addition to the ambient heat which makes things that much more dangerous,” Sorensen added.
EXTREME HUMID HEAT EVENTS
South Asia has suffered unseasonably hot temperatures in recent months. An extreme heatwave that scorched Pakistan and India in April was 30 times more likely to happen due to climate change, according to scientists at World Weather Attribution, an international research collaboration. Global temperatures have risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
As temperatures continue rising, extreme heatwaves are only expected to increase.
Jacobabad’s roughly 200,000 residents are well aware of their reputation as one of the world’s hottest cities.
“If we go to hell, we’ll take a blanket,” is a common joke told in the area.
Few places are more punishing. Last month, temperatures hit 51 Celsius (124 Fahrenheit) on May 14, which local meteorological officials said was highly unusual for that time of year. Tropical rains can also conspire with warm winds from the Arabian Sea to drive up humidity later in the year.




Local residents eat their lunch of curry and flatbread, during a heatwave, at a cafe in Jacobabad, Pakistan May 14, 2022. (REUTERS)

The more humid it is, the harder it is for people to cool down via sweating. Such conditions are measured by “wet bulb temperatures,” taken by a thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth. Wet bulb temperatures of 35C or higher are considered the limit to human survival.
Jacobabad has crossed that threshold at least twice since 2010, according to regional weather data. And, globally, such “extreme humid heat events” have more than doubled in frequency in the last four decades, according to a May 2020 study in the journal Science.




Biban, a pregnant farmer, clears unwanted grass at a muskmelon farm, during a heatwave, on the outskirts of Jacobabad, Pakistan, May 17, 2022. (REUTERS)

Sonari, who is in her 20s, and Waderi work alongside about a dozen other women, several of them pregnant, in the melon fields about 10 km from Jacobabad’s center.
They begin work each day at 6 a.m. with a short afternoon break for housework and cooking before returning to the field to work until sundown. They describe leg pains, fainting episodes and discomfort while breastfeeding.
“It feels like no one sees them, no one cares about them,” aid worker Liza Khan said more broadly about the plight facing many women in Jacobabad and the wider Sindh region which straddles the border of Pakistan and India.




Liza Khan, 22, project manager at the Community Development Foundation (CDF), walks to her office in Jacobabad, Pakistan, May 18, 2022. (REUTERS)

Khan’s phone rings constantly as she drives to one of three heatstroke response centers she has helped set up in recent weeks as part of her work with a non-profit group called the Community Development Foundation.
With a finance degree, Khan has lived in cooler cities across Pakistan but returned to her hometown because she wanted to be a voice for women in the conservative area.
“Nowadays I’m working 24/7,” said the 22-year-old, adding that her organization was finding the impact of extreme heat increasingly intertwining with other social and health issues affecting women.
THE FRONTLINES OF SUFFERING
The harsh conditions facing many women were brought into tragic focus on May 14, the day temperatures in Jacobabad hit 51 C, making it the world’s hottest city at that time.
Nazia, a young mother of five, was preparing lunch for her visiting cousins. But with no air conditioning or fan in her kitchen, she collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead from a suspected heat stroke
District health officials did not answer requests for comment about Jacobabad’s record of heat-related deaths in recent years, or more specifically about Nazia’s case.
Her body was taken the following day to her ancestral village to be buried and her children, the youngest a one-year-old who was still breastfeeding, regularly cry for their mother, a relative said.
Widespread poverty and frequent power cuts mean many people can’t afford or use air conditioning or at times even a fan to cool down.




Kaloo, 60, repairs a fan with a spoon while at work in a cafe, during a heatwave, in Jacobabad, Pakistan May 14, 2022. (REUTERS)

Potential strategies recommended by experts include providing clean-energy stoves to replace open-fire cooking, offering women’s medical and social services during early morning or evening hours when it is cooler and replacing tin roofs with cooler material in white to reflect solar radiation away from the home.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman told Reuters that women were likely bear the brunt of rising temperatures as they continued to scorch the country, adding that climate change policies in the future needed to address the specific needs of women.
“A megatrend like climate change ... poses a significant threat to the well-being of unempowered women in rural areas and urban slums,” she added. “Pakistani women, especially on the margins, will be impacted the most.”
Some in Jacobabad find it galling that Pakistan is responsible for just a fraction of the greenhouse gases released in the industrial era and now warming the atmosphere.
“We are not contributing to the worsening, but we are on the frontlines as far as suffering is concerned,” said Hafeez Siyal, the city’s deputy commissioner.
NO WATER, NO POWER, WE PRAY
In a residential neighborhood of the city, a donkey-drawn cart stacked with blue plastic jerrycans stops near the entrance to warren-like lanes leading to a cluster of homes. The cart’s driver runs back and forth delivering 20-liter containers of water from one of a few dozen private pumps around the city.
Most residents of Jacobabad rely on such water deliveries, which can cost between a fifth and an eighth of a household’s meagre income. Still, it’s often not enough, and some families are forced to ration.
For young mother Razia, the sound of her six-month-old Tamanna crying in the afternoon heat was enough to persuade her to pour some of her precious water over the baby. She then sat Tamanna in front of a fan, and the child was visibly calmer, playing with her mother’s scarf.




Women and children wash themselves after work at a muskmelon farm, during a heatwave, at a hand pump on the outskirts of Jacobabad, Pakistan, May 17, 2022. (REUTERS)

Local officials said water shortages were partly due to electricity cuts, which mean water cannot be filtered and sent via pipes throughout the city. There are also severe water shortages across Sindh, with climate change minister Rehman flagging shortfalls of up to 60 percent of what is needed in the province’s key dams and canals.
Rubina, Razia’s neighbor, fried onions and okra over an open fire, explaining she usually felt dizzy in the heat and tried to soak herself in water each time she cooked to prevent herself from fainting.
There was not always enough water to do so, though.
“Most of the time, it ends before it’s time to buy more and we must wait,” Rubina said as she closely supervised her children and grandchildren sharing a cup of water. “On the hot days with no water, no electricity we wake up and the only thing we do is pray to God.”


Pakistan projects 3-4 percent inflation next month ahead of June 10 budget

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan projects 3-4 percent inflation next month ahead of June 10 budget

  • Monthly economic report says consumer price inflation is likely to ease by 1.5 percent to 2 percent year-on-year in May
  • It warns that inflationary pressures may resurface slightly in June due to seasonal trends and base effects

KARACHI: Pakistan expects inflation to pick up to between 3 percent and 4 percent in June, the Finance Ministry said in its monthly economic report released Thursday, as the country prepares to announce its federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on June 10, a date that falls during the Eid Al-Adha holidays.

The ministry said consumer price inflation was projected to ease between 1.5 percent and 2 percent year-on-year in May, following months of steady decline driven by monetary tightening and a drop in food and energy prices.

However, it noted that inflationary pressures could resurface slightly next month due to seasonal factors and base effects.

“Improved weather conditions, better crop yields and a stable exchange rate have helped reduce inflation to a historical low,” the report said, adding that “inflation is projected to remain between 1.5-2.0 percent in May, with a possible rise to 3.0-4.0 percent by June 2025.”

The State Bank of Pakistan, in its half-yearly report last month, forecast average inflation for the fiscal year ending June 2025 to remain within 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent, reflecting easing cost pressures across key commodities.

Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad on Thursday confirmed the official timeline for the country’s fiscal announcements in a social media post aimed at dispelling speculation about possible delays due to the Eid Al-Adha holidays.

“The dates are firm,” he said on platform X. “As communicated earlier, the upcoming Federal Budget FY26 is on schedule to be announced on June 10, 2025. Similarly, the upcoming Pakistan Economic Survey FY25 is scheduled to be announced on June 9, 2025.”

Pakistan’s macroeconomic outlook has improved in recent months, supported by a stronger current account balance, improved remittances and falling inflation.

However, authorities remain cautious as they seek to build on recent economic stabilization, steer the country toward gradual growth and reaffirm their commitment to ongoing economic reforms.

With input from Reuters


Pakistan invites Japan to join mineral sector drive through joint ventures, value addition

Updated 30 min 39 sec ago
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Pakistan invites Japan to join mineral sector drive through joint ventures, value addition

  • Commerce minister Jam Kamal says Japan can help build sustainable supply chains for critical minerals
  • He says Islamabad sees Japan not only as a partner but as a catalyst for transforming Pakistan’s economy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has invited Japan to invest in its minerals sector through joint ventures focused on exploration, processing and value addition, with commerce minister, Jam Kamal, holding high-level meetings in Tokyo this week, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

The outreach is part of Pakistan’s broader push to attract foreign investment and strengthen its struggling economy. Islamabad has prioritized mining and minerals as a key sector for economic diversification, and is seeking Japanese collaboration to unlock its untapped resource potential while aligning with Tokyo’s industrial needs.

“Our mineral sector remains largely underexplored,” Kamal said during meetings with officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan–Pakistan Business Cooperation Committee (JPBCC).

“We are offering Japanese partners the opportunity to participate in high-value ventures that can help build sustainable supply chains for critical minerals,” he added.

The minister highlighted reserves of rare earth elements like copper, gold and other industrial minerals, positioning Pakistan as a strategic destination for resource-based cooperation.

He emphasized Pakistan’s openness to technology transfer, public-private partnerships and long-term frameworks that support mutual gains.

In his conversation with JICA’s Senior Vice President HARA Shohei, Kamal underlined the importance of aligning future development cooperation with Pakistan’s industrial modernization and export-oriented growth.

He acknowledged Japan’s long-standing contribution of over $11 billion in areas such as energy, transport and vocational training, and called for expanded technical assistance in mineral logistics, industrial clusters and green technologies.

Meeting JETRO President Susumu Kataoka and Executive Vice President Kazuya Nakajo, the minister urged greater Japanese investment in Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones and export-oriented sectors.

He called on JETRO to promote Pakistan’s mineral sector to Japanese industry through seminars, business-to-business (B2B) outreach, and participation in trade exhibitions.

At a luncheon hosted by JPBCC, Kamal encouraged deeper B2B ties and sought active Japanese input for the upcoming Pakistan-Japan Business Dialogue.

“Our doors are open,” he said. “We see Japan not only as a partner but as a catalyst for transforming Pakistan’s economic base. With your advanced technology and our resource potential, we can build future-proof industries together.”

Pakistan has in recent years stepped up its diplomatic engagement with key economic partners to promote sectors such as information technology, light engineering and mineral development.

The Tokyo visit marks a fresh attempt to align its resource-led ambitions with Japan’s technological strengths and global supply chain priorities.


Pakistan PM arrives in Tajikistan on final leg of five-day regional diplomacy tour

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan PM arrives in Tajikistan on final leg of five-day regional diplomacy tour

  • The tour earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan after a military confrontation with India
  • In Tajikistan, Sharif will attend a glacier conference, present Pakistan’s stance on climate change

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on Thursday, the final stop in a five-day regional diplomacy tour that earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, following a recent military confrontation with archrival India.

The tour has seen Sharif engage with regional allies to reaffirm diplomatic ties and economic cooperation, while also garnering support in the wake of heightened tensions with India.

Sharif was received at the Dushanbe airport by Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda.

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on a two-day visit,” his office said in a statement.

“During the visit, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to discuss cooperation in various sectors and thank the Tajik leader for his strong support during the recent India-Pakistan tensions,” it continued.

Earlier in the day, Sharif concluded his visit to Azerbaijan, where he announced that the Azeri leadership had reaffirmed plans to invest $2 billion in Pakistan and deepen collaboration in commerce, defense, education and health.

On Wednesday, Sharif attended a trilateral summit in the Lachin district with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The three leaders pledged to expand cooperation and turn their longstanding fraternal ties into a strategic partnership for regional prosperity.

During his previous stops, Sharif also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran to discuss trade, energy and regional connectivity. In Türkiye, from where he kicked off his regional tour, the Pakistani prime minister held talks with Erdoğan on defense, infrastructure and intelligence cooperation.

Pakistan has long sought to strengthen ties with landlocked Central Asian nations by offering them access to its Arabian Sea ports, part of its broader push for regional connectivity and economic integration.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in its statement Sharif will also participate in a high-level international conference on glacier preservation in Tajikistan, where he is expected to brief participants on the impact of climate change on Pakistan and reaffirm the country’s commitment to environmental protection.
 


Two police officers, four Pakistani Taliban killed in rare raid in Azad Kashmir

Updated 29 May 2025
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Two police officers, four Pakistani Taliban killed in rare raid in Azad Kashmir

  • While security forces frequently target TTP hideouts in restive northwest and elsewhere, such operations in Kashmir are rare
  • Police chief says TTP is acting as a proxy for India, New Delhi has not responded to the accusation

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: Security forces acting on intelligence raided a militant hideout in Azad Kashmir, triggering a shootout that left two police officers and four Pakistani Taliban fighters dead, police said Thursday.

The rare overnight raid was carried out in the Rawalakot district, according to Abdul Jabbar, the police chief in Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India and claimed in full by both countries in its entirety.

Jabbar said the killed militants were members of the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP and are allies of the Afghan Taliban. He alleged the TTP is acting as a proxy for India and said police thwarted an attempt by the insurgents to create a base for future attacks.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi.

While Pakistani security forces frequently target TTP hideouts in the restive northwest and elsewhere, such operations in Kashmir are rare. TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have since found sanctuary in Afghanistan.


Over 36 million children vaccinated as Pakistan anti-polio campaign enters fourth day

Updated 29 May 2025
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Over 36 million children vaccinated as Pakistan anti-polio campaign enters fourth day

  • Health officials have confirmed 10 polio cases in Pakistan his year
  • Pakistan, Afghanistan are only countries where polio remains endemic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has vaccinated approximately 36.4 million children as the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year entered its fourth day today, Thursday, the country’s polio program said.

Around 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators, are driving the campaign launched on Monday to vaccinate 45 million children under the age of five. The drive will conclude on June 1. 

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to ensure strong immunity against the disease.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. Pakistan has reported 10 polio cases so far this year, compared to 74 cases in 2024.

“In the first three days, 81 percent of (45 million) children across the country have been vaccinated,” the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement.

“85 percent in Punjab, 68 percent in Sindh, 86 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 74 percent of children in Balochistan have been vaccinated.”

The report said 63 percent of children were administered polio drops in the federal capital, Islamabad, 93 percent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 91 percent in Gilgit-Baltistan.

In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 polio cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. 

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994, but efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.

Militant groups have also frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, often resulting in deadly attacks.

A Pakistani police officer was killed earlier this week when gunmen opened fire on a team of health workers carrying out a polio vaccination drive in the volatile Balochistan province on the second day of a door-to-door campaign.