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Boston Globe
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
When it's this hot, ‘We are enduring, not living'
I spent a day with Ali to see how he copes in the extreme heat. Advertisement Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, is a striking example of how rising temperatures can turn cities into pressure cookers. It was recently ranked among the five least livable cities in the world, with its 17 million residents enduring overlapping crises of toxic air, frequent flooding and poor waste disposal. Life is especially hard for a majority of the population, including Ali, who live in the city's informal, low-income settlements, where residents are packed together in poorly ventilated homes without insulation, greenery or essential services. The two-room house he shares with his wife and two children is a concrete structure that absorbs heat throughout the day and radiates it back into the night. It lacks any cooling system, making it a suffocating oven. Chronic shortages of water and electricity compound the hardship. Sometimes, the power is suspended for six to 12 hours a day as collective punishment for electricity theft or unpaid bills in the community. Residents frequently take to the streets under the blazing sun to protest such deprivations. Advertisement 'It's suffocating inside the house,' Ali said. 'I think of taking the kids to the beach just to get out, but the humidity there makes it just as stifling.' Once he heads out on his motorcycle for work, an already physically demanding job becomes a test of endurance in the heat. On the day I was with him, temperatures reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 106. Ali rode for several hours, completing four trips that covered more than 20 miles, before managing even a brief break. He lay on his motorcycle in a rare patch of shade beneath a pedestrian bridge. Whenever he got thirsty, he would stop by one of the stalls around the city where residents hand out free cups of water and the sweet red syrup drink known as Rooh Afza. 'There's little chance to rest. But even if there was, where would I go?' he asked. Much of the city lacks trees, and shade is a luxury found only in affluent neighborhoods or beneath overpasses, where vendors compete for a sliver of relief from the sun. Ali is among the 70% of Pakistani workers who are in the informal sector, which includes construction laborers, vendors, security guards and delivery riders. These outdoor workers face the greatest risks from prolonged exposure to extreme heat and are the most vulnerable to financial insecurity. On a good day, Ali earns around $8, a fragile income strained by fuel, rent, electricity and water expenses. If he falls ill from the heat and cannot work, as happened to him one day in April, his family's monthly budget collapses. Advertisement That risk has grown as climate patterns have shifted. The hot season now starts sooner -- as early as March -- and lasts longer. Heat waves have grown more unpredictable and more intense. 'Every summer feels worse than the last,' Ali said, wiping sweat from his brow. 'It feels like there is no other season left anymore in Karachi.' The unrelenting heat puts the city on edge, he said. 'People fight over the smallest things these days, such as accidents, delays,' Ali said. 'It feels like everyone's angry.' The problem is not just that winter has shrunk. The relief that nighttime once brought has also receded. Temperatures remain elevated overnight, depriving the body of the chance to cool down, and raising the risk of illness. Since 1960, Karachi's mean nighttime temperatures have risen by about 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius), while daytime highs have risen by about 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, studies show. Globally, temperatures have risen by about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. Highway and infrastructure projects showcased by the city and provincial governments have intensified what is known as the urban heat island effect, which is one cause of high overnight temperatures. Heat-absorbing materials like asphalt and concrete make cities several degrees warmer than nearby rural areas. Amnesty International recently warned that Karachi faces severe risks from heat waves induced by climate change. In 2015, more than 1,300 people died in the city as temperatures reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit. A year ago, deaths surged as temperatures hit 104. Advertisement To address the worsening heat, Mayor Murtaza Wahab recently introduced a climate action plan, featuring cleaner transportation, greener industries and expanded renewable energy. However, experts say that climate policy remains a low priority amid Pakistan's economic, political and security crises. Residents are left to fend for themselves. After a long day laboring under the scorching sun, Ali returned home exhausted around 8 p.m., only to find that the power was out yet again. For the next two hours, he sat in the stifling heat, unable to sleep without a fan, like millions across the city. 'We are enduring, not living anymore,' Ali said as he helped his two children with their schoolwork under the dim glow of a rechargeable emergency light. 'This city is cursed by incompetent governance,' he added. 'Someone must fix it before it becomes unlivable.' This article originally appeared in
Observer
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Observer
When it's this hot, ‘we are enduring, not living'
KARACHI, Pakistan — It's just 8 a.m., and the sun is already punishing. Shahbaz Ali, a 32-year-old ride-hailing motorcycle driver, is drenched in sweat before his day has even begun. Sleep deprived from regular power outages in the hot weather, he heads off into the choking traffic of Karachi, Pakistan's main port city, for nearly 12 hours of work. By midday, temperatures can exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), with high humidity along the Arabian Sea pushing the heat index past 115. 'It feels like living in a furnace,' Ali said one day last month, steering his motorcycle over uneven roads as I rode on the back. 'But what choice do I have? If I stop working, my family won't eat.' I spent a day with Ali to see how he copes in the extreme heat. Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, is a striking example of how rising temperatures can turn cities into pressure cookers. It was recently ranked among the five least livable cities in the world, with its 17 million residents enduring overlapping crises of toxic air, frequent flooding, and poor waste disposal. Life is especially hard for a majority of the population, including Ali, who live in the city's informal, low-income settlements, where residents are packed together in poorly ventilated homes without insulation, greenery or essential services. The two-room house he shares with his wife and two children is a concrete structure that absorbs heat throughout the day and radiates it back into the night. It lacks any cooling system, making it a suffocating oven. Chronic shortages of water and electricity compound the hardship. Sometimes, the power is suspended for six to 12 hours a day as a collective punishment for electricity theft or unpaid bills in the community. Residents frequently take to the streets under the blazing sun to protest such deprivations. 'It's suffocating inside the house,' Ali said. 'I think of taking the kids to the beach just to get out, but the humidity there makes it just as stifling.' Once he heads out on his motorcycle for work, an already physically demanding job becomes a test of endurance in the heat. On the day I was with him, temperatures reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 106. Ali rode for several hours, completing four trips that covered more than 20 miles, before managing even a brief break. He lay on his motorcycle in a rare patch of shade beneath a pedestrian bridge. Whenever he got thirsty, he would stop by one of the stalls around the city where residents hand out free cups of water and the sweet red syrup drink known as Rooh Afza. 'There's little chance to rest. But even if there was, where would I go?' he asked. Much of the city lacks trees, and shade is a luxury found only in affluent neighborhoods or beneath overpasses, where vendors compete for a sliver of relief from the sun. Ali is among the 70% of Pakistani workers who are in the informal sector, which includes construction laborers, vendors, security guards, and delivery riders. These outdoor workers face the greatest risks from prolonged exposure to extreme heat and are the most vulnerable to financial insecurity. On a good day, Ali earns around $8, a fragile income strained by fuel, rent, electricity, and water expenses. If he falls ill from the heat and cannot work, as happened to him one day in April, his family's monthly budget collapses. That risk has grown as climate patterns have shifted. The hot season now starts sooner — as early as March — and lasts longer. Heat waves have grown more unpredictable and more intense. 'Every summer feels worse than the last,' Ali said, wiping sweat from his brow. 'It feels like there is no other season left anymore in Karachi.' The unrelenting heat puts the city on edge, he said. 'People fight over the smallest things these days, such as accidents, delays,' Ali said. 'It feels like everyone's angry.' The problem is not just that winter has shrunk. The relief that nighttime once brought has also receded. Temperatures remain elevated overnight, depriving the body of the chance to cool down, and raising the risk of illness. Since 1960, Karachi's mean nighttime temperatures have risen by about 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius), while daytime highs have risen by about 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, studies show. Globally, temperatures have risen by about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. Highway and infrastructure projects showcased by the city and provincial governments have intensified what is known as the urban heat island effect, which is one cause of high overnight temperatures. Heat-absorbing materials like asphalt and concrete make cities several degrees warmer than nearby rural areas. Amnesty International recently warned that Karachi faces severe risks from heat waves induced by climate change. In 2015, more than 1,300 people died in the city as temperatures reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit. A year ago, deaths surged as temperatures hit 104. To address the worsening heat, Mayor Murtaza Wahab recently introduced a climate action plan, featuring cleaner transportation, greener industries, and expanded renewable energy. However, experts say that climate policy remains a low priority amid Pakistan's economic, political, and security crises. Residents are left to fend for themselves. After a long day laboring under the scorching sun, Ali returned home exhausted around 8 p.m., only to find that the power was out yet again. For the next two hours, he sat in the stifling heat, unable to sleep without a fan, like millions across the city. 'We are enduring, not living anymore,' Ali said as he helped his two children with their schoolwork under the dim glow of a rechargeable emergency light. 'This city is cursed by incompetent governance,' he added. 'Someone must fix it before it becomes unlivable.' This article originally appeared in
Scroll.in
03-07-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
Patanjali restrained from running ‘disparaging' ads about Dabur product
The Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved from running allegedly disparaging advertisements about a product manufactured by consumer goods company Dabur, PTI reported. Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the interim order on a petition filed by Dabur, which alleged that Patanjali Ayurved was disparaging its Chyawanprash product by claiming that no other manufacturer had the knowledge to prepare it. Chyawanprash is an Ayurvedic formulation made from a blend of sugar, honey, ghee, Indian gooseberry jam and several herbs and spices. It is sold as a dietary supplement. The matter arose after Patanjali Ayurved telecast an advertisement featuring Ramdev, in which he questioned the authenticity of Chyawanprash products sold by other companies, Bar and Bench reported. In its petition, Dabur objected to references in the advertisements that described a '40-herb' Chyawanprash as 'ordinary'. This was a reference to Dabur's product that advertised itself as using '40+ herbs', it alleged. Dabur also noted that it was misleading and harmful to label other brands as 'ordinary'. The petition alleged that such statements misrepresented Patanjali Ayurved's own formulation, questioned Dabur's adherence to Ayurvedic tradition and branded Dabur's product as inferior, Bar and Bench reported. The advertisements undermined confidence in a category of products governed by strict regulatory standards, the petition said. The advertisements also made 'untrue' claims that other manufacturers did not have the knowledge of Ayurvedic texts and the formulae used to prepare Chyawanprash, Dabur added. The consumer goods company also claimed that Patanjali Ayurved was a habitual offender, citing earlier orders in contempt proceedings against the company for similar advertising conduct. The court will hear the matter next on July 14. In April, the Delhi High Court had ordered Ramdev to take down advertisements in which he claimed that food company Hamdard's drink Rooh Afza was being used to orchestrate 'sharbat jihad'. In May, a day after the court warned Ramdev of contempt proceedings for publishing a new video allegedly targeting Hamdard, the yoga guru said that he will not make statements or publish social media posts targeting Rooh Afza.
NDTV
03-07-2025
- NDTV
After Rooh Afza, Now Dabur: Fresh Court Setback For Ramdev's Patanjali
In a fresh setback to yoga guru Ramdev, the Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained his Patanjali Ayurved from running allegedly disparaging advertisements against Dabur Chyawanprash. This comes months after the high court censured Ramdev over a video containing disparaging remarks against herbal drink Rooh Afza. A bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna on Thursday allowed two interim injunction applications filed by Dabur against the advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved. "Application is allowed," the judge said. In December, Dabur had moved the High Court, alleging that Patanjali Ayurved was running advertisements disparaging its Chyawanprash product. Dabur urged the court to immediately restrain Patanjali from continuing with these advertisements, which they claim harm their reputation and mislead consumers. Ramdev is quoted as saying in the advertisement: "Jinko Ayurved aur Ved ka gyaan nahi, Charak, Sushrut, Dhanwantari aur Chyawanrishi ke parampara mein 'original' Chyawanprash kaise bana payenge'?" According to Patanjali, its own product contains 51 herbs in comparison to Dabur's 40 - a claim dismissed by Dabur. Patanjali's advertisement also allegedly suggests that Chyawanprash sold by other brands contains mercury, and that it is unsafe for children. Dabur contends that such "false" claims not only harms its business but undermines the trust it has built among consumers over decades. Patanjali, however, said its advertisement was not meant to target competitors. It said it has neither drawn any direct comparison or labelled its own product as "original" and others as "ordinary, nor named Dabur in its advertisement. Patanjali also said that its claims in its advertisement are merely promotional in nature. Last year, the Supreme Court had taken Ramdev to task over disparaging statements against allopathy. It was only after multiple apologies and several personal appearances in the top court, that the contempt of court case filed against Ramdev and Patanjali was closed.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Carvel ice creams, the creator of the soft serve, launches in India
Carvel, America's iconic ice cream franchise, is opening its doors in India this August. Carvel was founded in 1934 by Tom Carvel and has a 91-year legacy behind it. The brand is the creator of soft serve ice creams. Starting with a store in South Delhi this August, they plan to expand to 100 stores across the country over the next few years. The Indian expansion is led by Unify Foodworks. How the soft serve was invented The story goes that Tom Carvel, a Greek-born American, was selling ice creams from a truck in the state of New York in 1934. When his truck had a flat tyre, he started quickly selling the ice cream before it melted. It turned out to be a huge hit. This gave him the idea that soft desserts, as opposed to frozen ice cream, could also be a business idea. Some other brands also claim to have invented the soft serve, but Carvel created a special recipe and also patented soft serve ice cream machines. It became one of the first fast food restaurants in the US, much before the likes of McDonald's and Burger King. Since then, the brand is known for pioneering ice creams. Their popular ice cream cakes feature special characters created around holidays, such as Cookie Puss, Fudgie the Whale and Hug-Me the Bear. India chapter 'India is a promising new market for Carvel. We see strong alignment between Carvel's legacy of quality and flavour, and the evolving tastes of Indian consumers,' says Steven Yang, Senior Vice President, APAC at GoTo Foods International (the parent company of Carvel). 'Our work with Unify Foodworks gives us the local insight and operational strength needed to grow with intention and impact.' Unify Foods is a company that began in 2024 with the aim of bringing international QSR chains to India. The first store will open in Delhi. 'We are not disclosing the location as of now,' says Sumer Sethi, founder of Unify Foods. 'But it will be located in south Delhi.' He shares that at Carvel will be using fresh milk and cream at the store in developing the ice cream, something other soft serve brands in India do not do. All the signature offerings from the US, such as the Flying Saucer ice cream sandwich, will be available in India. 'We are localising many of the flavours for India. We will have kunafa, tapioca toppings and Rooh Afza syrups.' The soft serves will be priced for ₹79. The plan is to start with North India in the first one-and-a-half years. They are eyeing Bengaluru and other south Indian cities in year three.
