Knowledge, Perception and Socioeconomic
Vulnerability of Urban and Peri-urban
Households to Heat Waves in Pakistan
Khuda Bakhsh, Sara Rauf and Azhar Abbas
Abstract Heat waves cause a large number of morbidity and mortality cases each
year in Pakistan. Although the institutions cannot overcome heat waves, its
intensity in the forms of morbidity and mortality can be minimized by taking
precautionary measures. We examine knowledge and perception of population
regarding heat waves in Faisalabad. Results show that 53 % respondents in
peri-urban areas are involved in open field jobs and such respondents are more
vulnerable to heat waves in the absence of no precautionary measures. Further, long
working hours increase misery of such individuals. Access to health services is
poor, since visits made by health workers to households are very few per year.
Unfortunately, 20–30 % individuals having knowledge on heat waves do not follow instructions to avoid adverse effects of heat waves. Strengthening the role of
print and electronic media, social networks, and health institutions can save many
lives in the heat prone areas in Pakistan.
1 Background
Heat waves are defined as a situation of hot temperature with increased humidity.
Outcomes of such situation are in the form of distress and uncomfortable feelings to
the people (Das and Smith 2012). As per the definition of the Australian Bureau of
K. Bakhsh (&)
Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute
of Information Technology, Vehari, Pakistan
e-mail: kbakhsh@ciitvehari.edu.pk
S. Rauf Á A. Abbas
Institute of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
A. Abbas
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF),
15374 Müncheberg, Germany
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_12
191
Vulnerability of Urban and Peri-urban
Households to Heat Waves in Pakistan
Khuda Bakhsh, Sara Rauf and Azhar Abbas
Abstract Heat waves cause a large number of morbidity and mortality cases each
year in Pakistan. Although the institutions cannot overcome heat waves, its
intensity in the forms of morbidity and mortality can be minimized by taking
precautionary measures. We examine knowledge and perception of population
regarding heat waves in Faisalabad. Results show that 53 % respondents in
peri-urban areas are involved in open field jobs and such respondents are more
vulnerable to heat waves in the absence of no precautionary measures. Further, long
working hours increase misery of such individuals. Access to health services is
poor, since visits made by health workers to households are very few per year.
Unfortunately, 20–30 % individuals having knowledge on heat waves do not follow instructions to avoid adverse effects of heat waves. Strengthening the role of
print and electronic media, social networks, and health institutions can save many
lives in the heat prone areas in Pakistan.
1 Background
Heat waves are defined as a situation of hot temperature with increased humidity.
Outcomes of such situation are in the form of distress and uncomfortable feelings to
the people (Das and Smith 2012). As per the definition of the Australian Bureau of
K. Bakhsh (&)
Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute
of Information Technology, Vehari, Pakistan
e-mail: kbakhsh@ciitvehari.edu.pk
S. Rauf Á A. Abbas
Institute of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
A. Abbas
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF),
15374 Müncheberg, Germany
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_12
191