The mercury soared past 52 degrees Celsius in the southern province Pakistan Sindh, in the highest reading for the season, which is approaching the highest temperature record across the country, amid a heat wave, the weather service said today.

In Mohenjo Daro, a city in Sindh province known for its archaeological sites, the mercury soared to 52.2 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours, a senior Pakistan Meteorological Service official, Shahid Abbas, told Reuters.

This reading is the highest for the season so far and comes close to the city and country record high of 53.5 degrees Celsius and 54 degrees Celsius respectively.

The Mohenjo Daro it is a small town that experiences very hot summers and mild winters, combined with low rainfall rates, yet the few shops it has are usually full of customers.

However, due to the heat wave, the shops are now almost empty.

“Customers are not coming to the restaurant because of the extreme heat. I’m sitting idle in the restaurant with these tables and chairs and no customers,” said Mr Wajid Aliaged 32, who owns a tea house in the city.

“I take a bath several times a day, which gives me a little relief. In addition, we have no electricity. The heat has made us feel very uncomfortable.”

Near Ali’s shop is an electrical appliance repair shop run by Abdul Khaliq. The 30-year-old man works with the shutters of the shop almost closed to protect himself from the sun.

For his part, the doctor Mushtaq Ahmed points out that the locals have adapted to extreme weather conditions and prefer to stay in their homes or near places that have water.

“Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country to the impact of climate change. We have witnessed rainfall, floods beyond normal,” she said Rubina Khurshid Alamcoordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office on climate, during a press conference on Friday, stressing that the government is conducting information campaigns due to the heat waves.

The highest temperature on record in Pakistan was in 2017, when the mercury reached 54 degrees Celsius in the city of Turbat, in the southwestern province of Balochistan. It is the second hottest temperature in Asia and the fourth hottest worldwide, said Sardar Sarfaraz, chief meteorologist at the Pakistan Meteorological Service.