AMID rising global temperatures and climate change, extreme heat in Pakistan has moved beyond seasonal discomfort to a survival crisis, particularly for those with the least access to cooling, electricity and safe housing.

As temperatures routinely soar beyond 45°C, pushing human endurance to its limits, the risks are no longer distant; they are urgent and deadly.

Heat magnifies existing vulnerabilities.

For nearly 40 million Pakistanis living without reliable access to electricity or cooling, heatwaves bring daily life to a halt. Transformers fail, outages stretch to 12-16 hours, and voltage drops, rendering fans and refrigerators useless. Withoutpower, water pumps stall, food spoils, and critical medicines become unsafe to store.

The burden is heaviest on women, children, the elderly and outdoor workers.

In rural areas, gas shortages force families to cook in the open, increasing the risk for women. Heat may not discriminate biologically, but it does socially.

People are doing what they can. Those who can afford it, paint their rooftops white, apply heat-reflective coatings, and set up net shades to reduce heat.

They install solar panels and rely on alternative power supply arrangements to at least keep the fans running. These acts show resilience, but also reveal systemic neglect and failure.

Institutional responses remain scattered.

There are no widespread subsidies or awareness campaigns for heat-resilient building materials or proper building insulation.

Urban green cover continues to shrink, and cities increasingly trap heat. Tree plantation, the most natural and long-term heat buffer, remains neglected.

All this must change. Heat resilience must be mainstreamed across all sorts of urban planning, health systems and our energy policies. Pakistan must move from silent coping to active preparedness.

Shafgat Hussain Memon Jamshoro