ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an alert warning of the season’s first heatwave this week and saying temperatures were likely to rise about four to six degrees above normal in some parts of the country.
A study published this month by the American Geophysical Union, an international scientific association, said deadly heatwaves in South Asia, including Pakistan, were likely to become more common in the future, with the region’s exposure to lethal heat stress potentially nearly tripling if global warming isn’t curbed.
“Sindh, Southern Punjab, Eastern and Southern Balochistan will remain in the grip of a very hot and dry weather from Tuesday to Saturday,” the NDMA said in its advisory. “Temperatures are also likely to rise in most sub mountainous areas of the country.”
The document urged provincial authorities to take necessary mitigation measures, including the “establishment of heatstroke stabilization centers, relief centers at government and private hospitals, basic rural health units, any available government buildings and community centers with generator-based electricity and assured provision/availability of water.”
The NDMA asked authorities to take necessary steps to enhance awareness campaigns to educate the public on preventive measures and stockpile important emergency relief medicines.
In a region home to a quarter of the world’s population, heatwaves could have a big impact on the ability of workers to produce crops in breadbasket regions such as West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh in India and Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan, the American Geophysical Union study said.
Workers in increasingly steamy cities such as Karachi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Peshawar could also be affected, particularly as many do not have access to air conditioning.
Pakistan and India already experience deadly heat waves, with one in 2015 causing about 3,500 deaths, the study noted.
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warns of season’s first heatwave this week
https://arab.news/n78fc
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warns of season’s first heatwave this week
- Southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan expected to remain in grip of hot and dry weather from Tuesday to Saturday
- Pakistan and India already experience deadly heat waves, with one in 2015 causing about 3,500 deaths
Pakistan, China to sign multiple MoUs at major agriculture investment conference today
- Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms to attend Islamabad event
- Conference seen as part of expanding CPEC ties into agriculture, trade
KARACHI: Islamabad and Beijing are set to sign multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to boost agricultural investment and cooperation at a major conference taking place in the capital today, Monday, with hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani companies expected to participate.
The conference is being billed by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research as a platform for deepening bilateral agricultural ties and supporting broader economic engagement between the two countries.
“Multiple memorandums of understanding will be signed at the Pakistan–China Agricultural Conference,” the Ministry of National Food Security said in a statement. “115 Chinese and 165 Pakistani companies will participate.”
The conference reflects a growing emphasis on expanding Pakistan-China economic cooperation beyond the transport and energy foundations of the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into agriculture, industry and technology.
Under its first phase launched in 2015, CPEC, a core component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, focused primarily on transportation infrastructure, energy generation and connectivity projects linking western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan. That phase included motorways, power plants and the development of the Gwadar Port in the country's southwest, aimed at helping Pakistan address chronic power shortages and enhance transport connectivity.
In recent years, both governments have formally moved toward a “CPEC 2.0” phase aimed at diversifying the corridor’s impact into areas such as special economic zones, innovation, digital cooperation and agriculture. Second-phase discussions have highlighted Pakistan’s goal of modernizing its agricultural sector, attracting Chinese technology and investment, and boosting export potential, with high-level talks taking place between planning officials and investors in Beijing.
Agri-sector cooperation has also seen practical collaboration, with joint initiatives examining technology transfer, export protocols and value-chain development, including partnerships in livestock, mechanization and horticulture.
Organizers say the Islamabad conference will bring together government policymakers, private sector investors, industry associations and multinational agribusiness firms from both nations. Discussions will center on investment opportunities, technology adoption, export expansion and building linkages with global buyers within the framework of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.
