This week, temperatures are rising across India, prompting alerts about heat waves and raising the possibility of blackouts, potentially putting millions of people at danger for fatal heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
On Monday, the highest temperature in Baripada, Odisha, topped 44 degrees Celsius and lingered nearly 5 degrees Celsius above average in many parts. Heat wave warnings have been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for numerous states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha.
India is preparing for what could be an unusually hot summer. After the subcontinent suffered a brutal heat wave in 2022 that caused significant human suffering and affected the global wheat supply, more attention is being paid to weather conditions this year. As the number of people turning on their air conditioners and overloading infrastructure increases, so does concern about power outages.
Humidity and heat together can be extremely harmful or even fatal. The vast majority of India's 1.4 billion people work outdoors, frequently uncovered. Every year during the summer, a large number of rickshaw pullers, construction workers and street vendors die from the heat. The most serious heat-related occupational losses occur in India.
In Maharashtra, where they stood in the hot sun for hours, at a government-sponsored event on Sunday, at least 11 people died of dehydration and dozens more required medical attention after heat strokes.
Authorities have urged people to take care of their health by drinking plenty of water. The weather service suggested avoiding direct sunlight and wearing loose-fitting, lightweight cotton clothing.
The eastern state of West Bengal has ordered all schools to close this week to protect children from the extreme heat. Other provinces have shortened school schedules.
Temperatures are rising across the country this week, prompting heat-wave warnings and raising the chance of blackouts, potentially exposing millions to heat exhaustion or lethal heat stroke.
India is preparing for a hotter than typical summer. This year, there is a greater emphasis on weather since the subcontinent experienced a terrible heat wave in 2022, causing considerable human misery and disrupting global wheat supplies. There is also fear about power outages when people turn up their air conditioners and other appliances.
Edited By:Kavya Vengkateshwaran
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