Author(s): Emma Clark Ashraf Khan

Extreme temperatures compound poverty in Pakistan's hottest city

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[...]

"It's like fire burning all around. What we need the most is electricity and water," said blacksmith Shafi Mohammad.

Power shortages mean only six hours of electricity a day in rural areas and 12 in the city.

Access to drinking water is unreliable and unaffordable due to scarcity across Pakistan and major infrastructure problems.

[...]

Outside their three-room brick home, where the stench of rotting rubbish and stagnant water hangs in the air, a government-installed water tap runs dry.

But local "water mafias" are filling the supply gap.

They have tapped into government reserves to funnel water to their own distribution points where cans are filled and transported by donkey cart to be sold at 20 rupees (25 cents) per 20 litres.

[...]

Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to caused by climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index compiled by environmental NGO Germanwatch.

[...]

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Hazards Heatwave
Country and region Pakistan

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