Too hot to care

Pakistan is currently experiencing record high temperatures of above 52 degrees C as it experiences heatwaves across different regions.

These heatwaves are putting a strain on the already stretched government infrastructure, particularly health facilities, with heat-induced illnesses like heatstroke, heat exhaustion and gastro-intestinal problems on the rise.

This is not a one-off incident. We will continue to witness hotter heatwaves that will be more frequent and last longer. South Asia is likely to experience summer heatwaves where levels of heat and humidity combine to exceed what humans can survive without protection. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), millions of people will potentially be unable to maintain daily life activities during hot periods of the year.

Heatwaves affect different sets of people differently. We assume typically that only people outside the home are vulnerable and those indoors are safe.However, caregivers are particularly vulnerable within this context. Data collected by UN Women indicates that women shoulder nine times more unpaid care responsibilities than men.

A wide range of unpaid caregivers, mostly women, are living in informal settlements with poor ventilation. Without adequate ventilation and cooling, indoor spaces can become death traps. This puts them at risk of heat exhaustion and heat related illnesses directly.

This is potentially worse in urban areas due to the urban heat island effect, created by dense buildings, dark roofs, and concrete and waste heat emissions: urban areas are typically up to three degrees Celsius hotter than surrounding areas and they cool at a much slower rate at night.

The heatwave can be very closely associated with the increasing care responsibilities of women. Heatwaves tend to affect children more severely as their bodies cannot regulate temperatures like adults. The elderly are at higher risk of heat exhaustion and cannot regulate body temperature as easily through sweating.

Typically the women of the household are responsible for caring for family members when they experience heat-related illnesses. The time and effort they spend on care work increases. Breastfeeding mothers are also at risk as their hydration needs are higher.

In rural areas, particularly those facing water scarcity, women have to walk longer hours and stand in queues to collect water. This also further contributes directly to their drudgery and worsening health.

Studies from South Asia have documented frequent practices of women cooking and serving the family first and eating last in the household. During times of food insecurity, women are also more likely to skip meals, leading to serious health consequences for women and reduced capacity to withstand the heat.

Women taking care of household members typically also lack access to advisories or life-saving information, and they often do not have access to mobile phones to receive life-saving information.

Alarming climate projections allude to the fact that extreme weather events will become more intense and frequent. Countries like Pakistan will bear the brunt of this crisis. We need better planning at the national, provincial, city and district levels to deal with these.

Karachi and Lahore have comprehensive heat management plans, but at a cursory glance they are gender blind. Heatwave management plans typically focus on people accessing public spaces and rarely look at what is happening inside the houses.

More can be done at understanding the specific needs of different stakeholders and addressing them accordingly. For example, one of the measures could be to strengthen social protection for families in this time of crisis so they have something to fall back on.

Another measure could be disseminating advisories through communication mechanisms that women can access. Improved water sources could be another solution. Advisories and support for ventilating informal residential spaces could be another.

We need to be looking at gender equity and heat management together; they are not mutually exclusive. Women, especially caregivers need to be part of decision-making processes on where and how governments invest in climate investments as well as management plans.

The writer is a policy engagement advisor at Oxfam.