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Episode details

World Service,3 mins

How the Pakistan heatwave is causing 'devastating impacts'

Newshour

Available for over a year

In Pakistan's Balochistan province temperatures have repeatedly hit almost 50 degrees Celsius in the past few weeks. These scorching temperatures are not unusual in the summer but they've arrived two months earlier with the relief that monsoons offer still months way. These unseasonal temperatures are part of a larger heatwave that has gripped south Asia, forcing those who can to stay at home during the daylight hours and creating critical power and water shortages. Pakistan's climate minister, Sherry Rehman, says the country is facing an existential crisis as climate emergencies are being felt around the country with "devastating impacts" proving how "real and dangerous climate stress is for Pakistan". The north of the country includes an area of the Himalayas, with glacial lakes that could flood local areas at any time, and in the south, the city of Jacobabad, has been recorded as "the hottest city on the planet" over the last week. Photo: Women covering their faces ride a motorbike on a street, Lahore, Pakistan Credit: Getty Images

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