Jawairiya is a final-year Development Studies student at Bahria University Karachi with a passion for social justice, inclusive development, and community empowerment.

Heat waves have become a frequent occurrence in Pakistan’s economic hub, Karachi, with temperatures exceeding 40℃ regularly. Heat waves are six consecutive unusually hot days in a year, amplifying health and economic risks. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the risk of heat waves has increased 30 times due to climate change.

Karachi’s high heat vulnerability can be associated with poor urban planning, transport, and industrial emissions, and changes in coastal winds. 

During the deadly 2015 heatwave in Karachi, more than 1200 people lost their lives, and another 50,000 faced severe health effects. Another 65 people were killed in just three days in the 2018 heatwave, while Karachi experienced unprecedented heatwaves in March 2022, with record-high temperatures since 1901. With the intensity and frequency of heatwaves expected to increase in the coming years, urban poor residing in densely populated areas such as Korangi, Landhi, and Orangi Town are the most vulnerable due to inadequate green spaces, low-quality housing, poor ventilation, and lack of access to cooling. 

Rapid unplanned urbanization has transformed Karachi into a concrete jungle, creating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The UHI effect associates the variation in temperature between cities and surrounding rural areas with “reduced natural landscapes in urban areas, urban material properties, urban geometry, and heat generated from human activities.” It explains that heat-absorbing materials used in urban infrastructure trap the heat from human activities such as industrial and transport emissions, making cities more sensitive to heat waves. 

Temperature differences within a........

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