South Asia Heatwave Crisis

South Asia’s extreme-heat crisis is worsening, with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of the wider region facing recurring pre-monsoon heatwaves that are intensifying health, power, and economic stress. A World Weather Attribution analysis found that the April 2026 heatwave in northwestern India and Pakistan was made about 15 times more likely and about 1.0°C hotter by human-caused climate change, with at least 37 heat-related deaths reported in India and 10 in Pakistan during the episode, alongside record electricity demand and agricultural drought conditions affecting more than 1 million km². The economic and labor impacts are now a central part of the crisis. The World Bank reported in July 2026 that extreme heat in South Asia is already costing the equivalent of 31 million full-time jobs each year and could reduce the region’s economy by nearly 7% by 2050 without adaptation. The same report says informal workers can lose about 40% of earnings during heatwaves, and Bangladesh alone is estimated to have lost US$1.3–1.8 billion in 2024 from heat-induced productivity losses. Regional monitoring and response efforts are expanding, but the risk is outpacing adaptation. The World Meteorological Organization says Asia is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, and the World Bank warns that extreme heat is now a structural constraint on jobs, growth, and basic services across South Asia. The World Weather Attribution report also notes that the event strained electricity systems, including a 16% generation shortfall in Bangladesh and up to 10 hours of daily power cuts in rural Bangladesh.