Pakistan Warns of Severe 2026 Heatwaves as Extreme Temperatures Put Children, Workers and Cities at Growing Risk
By Sadaf Sundas Riaz — SCN NEWS
ISLAMABAD, April 29, 2026 — Pakistan is preparing for another dangerous summer after national disaster authorities warned that temperatures could climb sharply above seasonal averages across large parts of the country, turning extreme heat from a seasonal weather problem into an increasingly serious public-health, livelihood and infrastructure threat. The National Disaster Management Authority's Summer Contingency Plan for 2026 forecasts above-normal temperatures across most regions and an increased likelihood of moderate to severe heatwave episodes, particularly in Sindh, southern Punjab, Balochistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The warning is already becoming immediate. In an advisory dated April 27, NDMA said temperatures in heat-prone southern areas were running around 2 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal, with mild heatwave conditions expected from April 29 through May 3. The authority said May and June are typically Pakistan's hottest months and temperatures in parts of southern Punjab, upper Sindh and southern and eastern Balochistan can reach around 52°C during heatwave conditions, compared with a normal May-June range of roughly 43°C to 45°C in those areas.
The danger extends beyond the thermometer. NDMA's national summer planning document warns that prolonged dry spells and persistent high-pressure systems could push temperatures 4°C to 7°C above seasonal averages during heatwave episodes, increasing risks to public health, agriculture and electricity demand. Major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar face an additional problem from the urban heat-island effect, where buildings, roads and dense development retain heat and can intensify exposure for millions of residents.
For people working outdoors, extreme heat can quickly become an economic as well as a health emergency. Construction workers, agricultural labourers, street vendors, delivery workers and others who cannot easily avoid daytime exposure face heightened risks of dehydration and heat illness while simultaneously depending on those working hours for income. WHO says extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heatstroke and can worsen cardiovascular, respiratory and kidney conditions. The burden is not evenly distributed: infants and young children, older people, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses and outdoor workers are among groups facing greater risk.
Children face a particularly complex exposure because extreme heat can affect health, nutrition and education simultaneously. UNICEF says children are disproportionately vulnerable to environmental hazards and identifies extreme heat alongside drought, floods, storms, air pollution and ecosystem change as major climate-related threats to child health and well-being. Heat stress can contribute to dehydration and heatstroke, while worsening drought and crop losses can affect access to food and water; high temperatures can also disrupt school attendance and children's ability to concentrate.
Pakistan's vulnerability makes preparedness especially important. Millions of children already live in areas exposed to heatwaves as well as floods, droughts, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods, according to UNICEF Pakistan. That overlapping exposure means a household affected by extreme heat may also be dealing with water insecurity, poor air quality, food-price pressures or vulnerability to the monsoon season that follows — turning apparently separate climate hazards into a wider human-development challenge.
The government's 2026 planning indicates that authorities increasingly recognize that connection. NDMA's summer contingency framework does not treat heat in isolation: it simultaneously assesses heatwaves, flash floods, hill torrents, glacial lake outburst floods, drought and other seasonal hazards. The agency has also issued dedicated heatwave guidance as part of preparations for the summer season.
But issuing warnings is only the first layer of protection. Effective heat preparedness requires warnings to translate into action at hospitals, schools, workplaces and community level — including access to drinking water, shaded or cooled spaces, altered working schedules where possible, public-health communication and rapid identification of heat illness. WHO emphasizes that many adverse health effects from extreme heat are preventable through appropriate public-health measures.
Pakistan's 2026 summer will therefore test more than its ability to forecast high temperatures. As extreme heat increasingly intersects with urbanization, poverty, outdoor employment, electricity demand, agriculture and children's health, the measure of preparedness will be whether an official heat warning reaches the people most exposed to it in time to change what happens next.