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South Asia is one of the regions most at risk from extreme heat as the majority of its urban areas are ill-prepared to handle the phenomenon, which is becoming more frequent, severe, and complex as a result of climate change, World Bank said in its latest report.
According to a recent World Bank assessment, the area, which is home to a quarter of the world’s population, was used to experiencing high heat, but that growing urbanisation and climate change were straining the area’s capacity for adaptation to the point where catastrophic effects were occurring.
With more than 3,600 deaths from heat-related causes in Pakistan and India during the 2015 heat waves, the effects of heat in South Asia are already becoming apparent. More recently, in 2022, temperatures in some parts of Pakistan reached 51 degrees Celsius, and at least one billion people in India and Pakistan endured additional record-breaking heat waves.
According to the paper “Urban Heat in South Asia: Integrating People and Places in Adapting to Rising Temperature,” South Asia’s high population density and limited permeation of green and blue areas have made it difficult for many communities to handle heat.
These environmental elements were crucial because South Asia rarely had access to heat adaptation strategies like mechanical cooling via air conditioning.
In many South Asian communities, air conditioning use is impractical due to erratic electricity supply or affordability.
The report stated that across Pakistan, electricity demand often exceeded supply resulting in blackouts lasting three to four hours per day. These factors were not limited to low-income communities and extended across many urban communities in the region.
