Pakistan is bracing for a heatwave, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 50 degrees Celsius in the country’s most populous province, where people have been asked to stay indoors.

“Temperatures are expected to climb as high as 50 degrees in southern Punjab and some areas of Sindh,” chief meteorologist, Sardar Sarfraz, told dpa on Tuesday.

Pakistan Meteorological Department issued an advisory, saying day temperatures will likely remain four to six degrees higher than normal in Punjab and some parts of Sindh.

“The general public is advised to avoid unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight,” it said.

Temperatures in northern areas, home to over 7,000 glaciers, are expected to be two to four degrees above normal.

The sweltering conditions would continue to persist from Tuesday through Saturday.

Sarfraz said a spell of pre-monsoon rains is due at the end of the week.

Last year, Pakistan said it was expecting below-normal monsoon rains this year.

Over 1,700 people were killed, and over 33 million were affected by the devastating floods triggered by the erratic monsoon rains last year.

Thousands of people were evacuated before cyclone Biparjoy in Pakistan and India last week.

Neighbouring India is also in the grips of a blistering heat wave in which scores have died in the past few days.

Pakistan is responsible for less than one per cent of global carbon emissions but was among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations.

Flash floods, land erosion, cloudbursts, droughts, and smog resulting in low air quality have been rising in Pakistan in recent years.

(dpa/NAN)