Summer here

“There is a danger of productivity losses.”

A sustained heat wave is bad news for farmers across the country who are already battling an agricultural crisis.

The National Disaster Management Authority describes a heat wave as a period of abnormally high temperature. IMF’S own criteria says a heat wave need not be considered till the maximum temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius or, if it is lower than that, when the maximum temperature is 5-6 degrees Celsius more than the normal temperature. On Wednesday, Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 37.4 degrees Celsius, 5.5 degrees above normal. This was the third successive day of heatwave conditions in the city (the maximum temperature was higher at 37.8 degrees on February 27), which perhaps explains IMD’S move. Other parts of Maharashtra were hotter. The highest temperature in the state was recorded at Bhira (41 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees above normal).

Heat waves normally occur between March and June, although some have been recorded even later.

In Delhi, heat wave conditions normally develop in the beginning of May, when maximum temperatures breach the 40 degrees Celsius threshold. That looks likely to happen earlier this year with the northern plains already heating up. “The maximum temperature in the northern region has already touched 36.2 degrees C on February 27,” Kuldeep Srivastava, a senior IMD scientist said. “The maximum and minimum temperatures in February were about 3 degrees C above normal.”

“It is likely that heat wave conditions will hit the region earlier than expected,” he added.

The core heat wave zone spreads over Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana and the meteorological subdivisions of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and Madhya Maharashtra in Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh in Andhra.

This summer too will be hotter, IMD said, with mean temperatures between March and May being 1 degree Celsius above normal.

A draft IMD report noted that 2017 was India’s 4th hottest year, and the 4th consecutive recordbreaking year, mostly because of record-breaking temperatures in the January- February period, classified as winter.

Officials in Mumbai cited unique conditions for heat wave conditions forming in the region. “The heat wave conditions are for isolated parts of the Konkan coast, including Mumbai, due to a lower-level anti-cyclonic circulation over Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra, which is pulling warm easterly to north-easterly winds over Mumbai and surrounding areas. The easterly winds are also not allowing the sea breeze (cool westerly winds) to settle over the city fast enough,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD.

There is an increase in the frequency and duration of heat waves according to IMD officials. The rise in average temperatures that is fuelling the heat waves is attributed to increasing greenhouse gas emissions and warming of sea surface temperatures.

The National Disaster Management Authority reported recently that heat wave deaths have dropped significantly in recent years partly because of early warnings.

However, experts say the cost of heat waves go beyond fatalities and include health care costs and the loss of productivity.

“When people are exposed to very high temperatures, they start developing a temperature and the body’s heat-regulation mechanism and circulation fails; people can die if they are not cooled down immediately,” said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, director of Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar-public Health Foundation of India.

It isn’t just Mumbai and the North, Hyderabad has seen an increase of 3-4 degrees C from normal in the minimum temperature during January and the first week of February. “We entered summer in the second week of February and the maximum temperatures are gradually rising. It is quite common to have a deviation of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius during this period, but the deviation will go up to four to five degrees in the peak summer season in May,” an official in the IMD control room in Hyderabad said, asking not to be identified.

Responding to the IMD forecast, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held an emergency meeting with the ministers and officials of the agriculture and irrigation department. statement in front of the magistrate stating that Karti Chidamabaram asked for $1million in foreign currency to clear the FIPB case.”

A CBI official familiar with the developments said that the counsel was referring to Indrani Mukerjea, who was questioned by the agency in the first week of February. She then recorded the statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, said the officer who asked not to be named.

An officer in the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering angle in the case, said that Indrani had recorded another statement with the agency in which certain references were made about Karti and his father P Chidambaram.

Though HT was shown the statement, it could not independently verify its authenticity. P Chidambaram was not immediately available for comments.

The CBI counsel said in court that Karti did not cooperate with the agency in the probe and that he was travelling abroad too frequently. “The accused has not cooperated in the investigation. The accused has been frequently visiting abroad. There are many things which we cannot disclose in the open court,” Sharma said, making the case for a 15-day remand.

He also argued that Karti appeared before the agency for questioning only after a Supreme Court order. Rebutting the CBI claim, Karti’s lawyer Singhvi told the court that his client cooperated with the investigation and had reported to the CBI whenever summoned.

“One of the interrogations lasted for 22 hours. They (CBI) had no questions left to ask me after 22 hours,” said Singhvi while defending Karti.

On the charge of Karti travelling abroad frequently, Singhvi said: “I (his client) have gone abroad but I have come back also…” He added that Karti was not a “Hindustan leaver” like others but a “Hindustan returner”.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the CBI action, saying the government had nothing to do with the agency’s actions: “The law is taking its course. The law must take its course. The CBI will explain all the details. We do not wish to interfere. There is no interference of the government.”

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said Karti’s arrest was a “diversionary tactic” by the government to “hide its scams”. by private consumption and gradual revival in investment, could push India into a highgrowth trajectory.

In the quarter, agriculture grew at 4.1%, manufacturing at 8.1%, construction at 6.8%, trade, hotels, transport communication and services related to broadcasting at 9% and electricity, gas water supply and other utility services at 6.1%.

The finance ministry said in a statement that the robust growth in manufacturing and significant acceleration in construction mark a turnaround in the country’s economic growth momentum.

For the full year, gross value added is expected to grow at 6.4% as against 7.1% in the year-ago period. Agriculture will grow at 3%, manufacturing at 5.1%, trade, hotels and restaurants at 8.3% and construction at 4.3%.

But given that government spending has driven growth, the rising fiscal deficit numbers could prove to be a constraint.

Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, Confederation of Indian Industry, said the third-quarter GDP data strengthens the perception that the economy is on the threshold of a sustained rebound.

Separately, data released by the controller general of accounts showed India’s fiscal deficit as of January-end was at 113.7% of the revised budget estimates.