‘A calamity’: Why is a record heatwave sweeping South Asia?
Key takeaways
- Countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen temperatures soar well above seasonal averages, with some areas approaching or exceeding 45°C.
- Such conditions are not entirely new in the region, as heatwaves have become a regular feature of South Asia’s pre-monsoon summer.
- Increasingly, experts are linking these extremes to human-driven climate change, which is causing extremes in natural weather patterns.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen temperatures soar well above seasonal averages, with some areas approaching or exceeding 45°C.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Labourers use a cart to transport aluminium pipes at a market on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, April 29, 2026 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]By Usaid Siddiqui Published On 8 May 20268 May 2026A record-breaking, deadly heatwave sweeping South Asia has pushed temperatures to dangerous highs, disrupting daily life for hundreds of millions and raising new concerns about the vulnerability of one of the world’s most densely populated regions.
Countries including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have seen temperatures soar well above seasonal averages, with some areas approaching or exceeding 45-50 degrees Celsius (113-122 degrees Fahrenheit).