Dadu recorded a punishing 48°C on Tuesday, pushing the city to the top of the country’s heat list. Residents are sheltering indoors as the intense heatwave, which has been building across Sindh for the past 72 hours, shows no signs of breaking.
The heat isn’t just a number on a weather map. In Dadu, the streets are largely deserted by mid-morning. Local hospitals report a sharp rise in patients arriving with heatstroke and dehydration. Most are laborers or motorcycle riders who had little choice but to be out in the sun.
“The air feels like a furnace,” said one local shopkeeper, who shuttered his business early to avoid the peak afternoon glare. “Even the fans are just blowing hot air around.”
Meteorologists point to a persistent high-pressure system sitting over the region, blocking any cooling sea breezes from reaching the interior. While the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) expects temperatures to hover near these levels for at least another 48 hours, they’ve issued warnings for residents in Dadu, Jacobabad, and Larkana to avoid direct exposure.
The strain on the local power grid is becoming the next crisis. As families crank up coolers and fans to survive the heat, the frequency of unplanned load-shedding has spiked. For those without backup generators or solar setups, the power cuts turn homes into ovens.
Regional health officials have set up makeshift cooling centers in public buildings, but they are struggling to keep pace with the influx of people. Doctors are urging the public to stay hydrated and keep light-colored, damp cloths on their heads if they must step outside.
