The extreme heat in South Asia shows no sign of letting up. Following the exceptional temperatures recorded at the end of April, the thermometers refuse to drop. And so May, too, has opened with mercury levels approaching 50 degrees Celsius. The phenomenon has now been battering an entire subcontinent for two months: March 2022 in particular was the hottest in 122 years, and this is putting the food security of both countries, as well as their agricultural harvests, at risk.

Extreme heat melts a glacial lake in Pakistan

South Asia is no stranger to heatwaves of this kind, but the intensity and duration of this one are staggering. It was the hottest April ever recorded, particularly for Pakistan and the entire Himalayan mountain range.

On 8 May, temperatures in central Pakistan peaked at 48 degrees, recorded in the localities of Sibi and Jacobabad. In northern India, in Barmer, temperatures reached 46.3 degrees, and even higher temperatures are forecast for the coming week. The heatwave is also affecting Central Asia, with 40 degrees recorded in Turkmenistan.

PAMIR TIMES ✓ @pamirtimes

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Hassanabad Bridge on KKH collapses due to Shishper glacial lake outburst flood in #Hunza
#ClimateEmergency #ClimateActionNow #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming

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And the effects are already making themselves felt: in Pakistan, the melting of the Shishper glacial lake has already caused the collapse of a bridge in the Hunza region, damaging homes and buildings. The flood also swept away two power stations in Hassanabad.

Wheat exports at risk

The extreme heat has forced farmers, construction workers and students to reorganise their lives, and labour productivity is falling. India's wheat harvest could decline by 4 per cent compared to the 2021 harvest, adding to a progressive run of five consecutive poor harvests. India is being called upon to replace Russia and Ukraine in global wheat exports, but the heatwave bodes nothing good in that regard.

"It's a bit early to fully understand the extent of the crop loss," a senior government official told Reuters. "Based on the production estimates issued by the government in February, we could easily have exported well over 12 million tonnes, but now it looks like we won't exceed 10 million tonnes."

Scott Duncan @ScottDuncanWX

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Harsh heat will build in Southern Asia (again) in the coming days.

Pakistan will break 50°C (122°F) in places. This follows a very hot March and hottest April on record.

The heat really is relentless. Very hot also for large parts of India.

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Many traders are more pessimistic, and should exports threaten domestic needs, India would be prepared to block them. In the meantime, local wheat prices have risen and both India and Pakistan are concerned about the food security of their populations.

But beyond food, India and Pakistan are being called upon to strengthen safety systems to save human lives: the 2015 heatwave killed nearly 3,500 people. It was the fourth deadliest heatwave on record, and this demonstrates how urgently these regions must invest in adaptation to climate change in order to avoid further tragedies such as this.