Jacobabad residents battle life-threatening heat amid prolonged power outages

In Pakistan’s Jacobabad often described as one of the hottest cities on Earth residents are enduring increasingly dangerous heat conditions worsened by prolonged electricity outages, water scarcity, and fragile infrastructure.

A field report highlights the lived reality of families surviving temperatures and heat index levels reaching up to 51°C. One resident, Shabana, 42, described how her household has been without electricity for three consecutive days, relying on a small solar-powered fan that barely provides relief. She said the worsening heat feels unbearable, adding that life has become a daily struggle for survival rather than comfort.

Researchers and field teams from the Karachi Urban Lab (IBA) and King’s College London noted that Jacobabad’s extreme heat is no longer an occasional weather event but a persistent reality intensified by failing infrastructure. Many households report 14 to 16 hours of daily load-shedding, while some settlements remain entirely disconnected from the power grid.

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Residents also highlighted severe water insecurity. Groundwater is often too saline for drinking, forcing families to purchase water daily from donkey carts. For low-income households, this adds an additional financial burden during already extreme conditions.

The report further found that climate-driven migration is increasing. Families with resources temporarily relocate to cooler regions such as Quetta during peak summer months, while daily wage workers, teachers, and small shopkeepers are unable to leave and must endure the heat.

Experts warn that adaptation is becoming increasingly unequal, with wealthier households able to afford solar systems and cooling devices, while poorer communities remain exposed to life-threatening conditions. Local organisations have set up temporary heat relief camps, but researchers say these efforts are not sufficient without systemic state-level intervention.

The situation in Jacobabad is being seen as a warning sign for Pakistan’s broader climate vulnerability, where rising temperatures combined with weak infrastructure are turning extreme heat into a chronic humanitarian challenge.