Impact of High Temperature on Human Behavior and Health in Dera Bugti, Balochistan- Pakistan

Abstract

One of the issues that are very significant to the world in the twenty-first century is climate change. The country of Pakistan is always included in the 10 highly vulnerable countries to the changes of climate.  The covered area is with much concern, Dera Bugti district in Balochistan in Pakistan due to the dry climate, infrastructural degradation and poverty. During summers, it is very unhealthy and lacks good productivity and psychiatrical stability due to the overheating that may exceed 45 o C.  It is against this background that this paper analyzes the spatio-temporal variations of the temperature of Dera Bugti in 25 years (2000125) and determines its impact on human health and behavior.  We investigated the satellite-obtained land surface temperatures records of CRU and MODIS using ArcGIS 10.5 to identify hotspots, map how they changed over time, as well as examine long-term warming behavior.  Meanwhile, primary data were collected using structured questionnaires of 150 individuals residing in Dera Bugti as well as tabulated on the Microsoft excel and the regression and correlation analysis done to examine the relationship between increasingtemperatures and human consequences in a statistical manner.  The findings indicate that the maximum and minimum temperatures in Dera Bugti increase every year. Sui, Pir Koh and Dera Bugti are all regions of central and southern region of the country that experienced high temperatures.  It had a considerable impact on the behavior of the people when exposed to extreme heat, with 47 per cent indicating they were angry and frustrated, 20 per cent indicating that they were tired and unmotivated, 13 per cent indicating that they were stressed and anxious, and 10 per cent indicating that it affected them by making them uncomfortable and having depressive symptoms.  The healthcare consequences were also high: Headaches (30%), thirst (23%), increases (20%), and exhaustion (20%): were the most frequent, and old adults and outdoor workers were the most vulnerable.  The regression results had demonstrated that there are intermediate positive correlation between an increase in temperature and behavioral problems and an inverse relationship between an increase in temperature and productivity.  The outcomes demonstrate that the insufficient heat in Dera Bugti is not merely an environmental issue, but a complex issue,which impacts on the physical health, psychological stability, social cohesion, and economic stability.