It’s barely 10 in the morning, but the sun is already harsh over the dusty fields of Wadh, a remote town in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district. Ghulam Nabi, a 52-year-old farmer, wipes his brow and gazes over his cracked land. His wheat crop, once promising, has shrivelled under the unforgiving heat.
“This year, there was no rain in the season. Then when it came, it flooded our crops. We don't know how to plan anymore,” he says, squinting against the blinding sun. “The weather has become unpredictable — we are losing our way of life.”
Ghulam is not alone. Across Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet least developed province, communities are grappling with the rapidly intensifying effects of climate change. Once known for its rugged beauty, mineral wealth, and pastoral culture, Balochistan now finds itself on the frontlines of an environmental crisis it did little to cause.
In recent days, seven Pakistani cities made it into the list of the 15 hottest places on Earth — several of them in or bordering Balochistan. Dera Ismail Khan topped the global heat charts at a scorching 48.4°C, followed closely by Jacobabad at 48°C. The province’s own towns like Sibi and adjacent areas like Bahawalnagar reported 47.4°C, while places like Jhelum, Multan, and Sialkot touched 47°C.
These temperature surges are no longer rare. According to international climate monitoring groups, Pakistan’s heat rankings now fluctuate in the global top tier almost weekly during summer. The numbers tell a grim story, but the human cost is even more alarming.
In southern districts like Gwadar and Badin, rising sea levels and saline intrusion have poisoned freshwater resources crippling the local fishing industry
“Extreme heat is no longer a one-off. It's a pattern,” says Dr Rahila Jamali, a Quetta-based environmental scientist. “The people of Balochistan are paying the price of global emissions even though their carbon footprint is negligible.”
In Awaran, a drought-prone district in southern Balochistan, 38-year-old Gul Bano has to walk almost five kilometres every day to fetch water. “We used to get water from a well near our house, but it dried up three years ago,” she says. “Now we depend on a tanker that comes twice a week, and sometimes not even that.”
Balochistan is suffering from chronic water scarcity, worsened by climate-induced droughts and poor infrastructure. According to local officials, many natural springs and wells have dried up in recent years, leaving entire villages dependent on unreliable water deliveries.
These conditions are pushing people to leave. “In my village, five families have already migrated to Karachi in the last year,” says Gul Bano. “They said there is no life left here.”
Amid growing concerns, the Balochistan government recently announced the establishment of a Climate Change Fund to tackle these growing threats. Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the fund would support mitigation and adaptation efforts across the province.
“Balochistan faces some of the worst effects of climate change — from heatwaves to floods and droughts,” Bugti said in a recent press statement. “We have to act now to protect our environment and our people.”
The decision has been widely welcomed by environmentalists and civil society. “It’s a bold and necessary step,” says Muhammad Ibrahim Baloch, Director General of Environment and Climate Change in Balochistan. “We are working on sustainable solutions, from tree plantations to awareness campaigns and better urban planning.”
Still, the challenges are steep. According to the World Bank's 2022 Country Climate and Development Report, Pakistan could lose up to 20% of its GDP by 2050 due to climate-related disruptions — a loss that will disproportionately impact provinces like Balochistan.
Pakistan is already reeling from past disasters. The 2022 floods affected a third of the country, displacing over 33 million people and causing $30 billion in losses. Balochistan was among the worst-hit regions.
In Khuzdar, 19-year-old Shabana lost her home and school in those floods. “I remember waking up to screams. The water came into our house in the middle of the night. We just ran,” she recalls. “We lived in a tent for months.”
Floods are only one part of the crisis. In southern districts like Gwadar and Badin, rising sea levels and saline intrusion have poisoned freshwater resources crippling the local fishing industry.
“Our shrimp catch has dropped to half. Many of us are quitting fishing and moving to cities to find work,” says Abdul Karim, a fisherman from Pasni. “But what will we do in cities? We are not educated, and the cost of living is high.”
A recent Oxfam-supported study in districts including Khuzdar and Rajanpur found that climate change is pushing rural communities into cycles of poverty, migration, and food insecurity. The report warned of rising gender inequality, noting that women and girls face the harshest consequences.
Experts agree that climate impacts are not gender-neutral. According to UN estimates, 80% of those displaced by climate disasters globally are women.
“In Balochistan, rural women are often responsible for collecting water and firewood. When resources dwindle, their burden multiplies,” explains Dr Noreen Ahmed, a gender and climate researcher at Balochistan University. “Girls often drop out of school to help at home.”
“During the last flood, many women had no access to sanitary pads or private wash areas,” she adds. “These are basic but overlooked needs in emergency responses.”
“We appeal to every citizen: plant trees, save water, and reduce plastic waste,” said Muhammad Ibrahim Baloch, government official. “Balochistan’s biodiversity and natural beauty are precious. We must protect them for future generations.”
He says environmental teams in Quetta and other cities have begun daily enforcement drives against plastic bag use. Meanwhile, schools and media outlets are increasingly including climate literacy in their programmes.
Back in Wadh, farmer Ghulam Nabi isn't sure what the future holds. “My son wants to leave for Karachi. He says there is no future in farming,” he says quietly. “But this is our land — if only the weather could be kind again.”
The winds of change in Balochistan are hot, dry, and often merciless, but stories like Ghulam’s remind us that the battle for climate justice is also a human one. In a province that remains neglected in many national priorities, the fight for a liveable future has already begun — one tree, one drop of water, and one act of resilience at a time.