Pakistan and India brace for soaring 40C temperatures as schools close and people warned to stay indoors

A woman pours water on her head in the Indian city of New Delhi. Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Munir Ahmed

Authorities in Pakistan have urged people to stay indoors as the country is being hit by an extreme heatwave that threatens to bring dangerously high temperatures and yet another round of floods driven by melting glaciers.

Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, is shutting all schools for a week because of the heat, affecting an estimated 18 million students.