If a large part of Asia is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave, Pakistan has just experienced its “rainiest April since 1961”, with temperatures almost a degree lower than usual. .
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As is often the case in the country, the fifth most populous in the world and one of the most exposed to extreme weather phenomena, experts and meteorologists point the finger at climate change.
The poor South Asian country keeps repeating that its 240 million inhabitants (around 3% of the world’s population) are only responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Many are now worried in Pakistan: the April rains have already killed at least 144 people, including dozens of children when their homes collapsed in torrential rains. But the monsoon, with its share of floods, flash floods and damage, is due to arrive in July and will last until September.
Difficult moments
In addition to flooding, the country has also been hit by deadly heatwaves and some of the worst air pollution in the world, all phenomena whose impact is compounded, experts say, by a lack of infrastructure and poor governance.
In April, precipitation reached “59.3 millimeters”, well beyond the usual average of 22.5 millimeters, details a report from the meteorological services published late Friday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, saw the largest increase in the country. There, note the meteorological services, precipitation was four and a half times higher than seasonal norms.
The heaviest human toll, with 84 deaths including 38 children, was however recorded in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the northwest bordering Afghanistan, where 3,500 homes were damaged.
And while from the Philippines to Burma via India, millions of people are suffocating under an unprecedented heat wave, Pakistan has seen its average monthly temperature drop to 23.67 degrees, compared to the usual 24.54, continues the report.
Climate change in question
For Zaheer Ahmad Babar, spokesperson for the meteorological services, climate change explains this unusual month.
“Climate change is an important factor influencing unpredictable weather trends in our region,” he told AFP.
In 2022, the poor South Asian country suffered devastating floods which affected almost a third of its territory and affected more than 33 million people, leaving more than 1,700 dead.
More than a year and a half later, underlines the UN, nearly 10 million children still needed humanitarian aid to survive in the areas affected by the torrential rains which washed away everything.
For Unicef, “Pakistani children are caught in a vicious cycle of drought and flood”.
Because if the country is currently suffering from high rainfall, at the beginning of April, Islamabad announced that it was facing a water shortage of around 30% compared to its needs at the start of the planting season for rice and cotton. The authorities pointed to less winter snowfall than usual in the northern glacier region.
“From their conception to their arrival at adulthood, the development of children’s brains, their lungs and their immune system is affected by their environment,” continues Unicef, which is concerned for an entire generation.
“The risks they face due to climate change are considered extremely high,” warns the UN agency.
