Letter from Karachi: For a place in the shade

In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, the sun is an ever-present force, sometimes making it hard to even be outside. Every summer, the city suffers from heat waves causing dozens if not hundreds of deaths each year. Residents and medical personnel recall shocking scenes during the heat wave of 2015, when temperatures rose beyond 45ºC and over 1300 people died as a result. The city's biggest morgue had to turn away bodies and cemeteries ran out of space to bury the dead.

Karachi's climate is undeniably harsh, but the impact of the heat has been exacerbated by the lack of shade in the city's public spaces. While walking outside, it is difficult to find a path that does not expose one to the blistering sun. The impact of the lack of shade is felt primarily by the already vulnerable populations, such as the city's working class and the homeless. Construction workers, hawkers, street food vendors, garbage collectors and the kabari, (recyclable collectors), have to work outdoors, often unprotected from the sun, regardless of the temperature.