Severe heatwave sweeps India as warnings issued amid power crisis
MILLIONS of Indians are struggling to cope with a record-shattering heatwave sweeping across the country even as large parts face power outages linked with coal shortages.
Temperatures shot past 5 degrees in several places, with Banda in the northern Pradesh state becoming the country’s hottest place on Friday, recording 7. degrees Celsius.
North-west and central India experienced their hottest April since weather records began 122 years ago, Indian Meteorological Department chief Mrityunjay Mohapatra said on Saturday.
The heatwave could intensify in the days ahead and temperatures might cross the 50-degree mark in north India, Mohapatra warned, adding that May is usually the “hottest month” going by the trends.
In the past week, several states in the country have suffered a power crisis amid the coal shortage owing to increased electricity consumption.
Many regions including Delhi and its surrounding areas have seen power cuts as well as water shortages.
India uses coal for electricity generation and authorities are running additional trains ferrying coal to states to tide over the shortages, domestic media reported.
India is almost the hottest place on the planet currently, Accuweather reported, adding that some Indians were blaming climate change for the scorching temperatures.
According to the World Meteorological Organization “it is premature to attribute the extreme heat in India and Pakistan solely to climate change,” however, the agency continues, “It is consistent with what we expect in a changing climate.”
India’s summer season, which starts in April and continues until early uly, claims scores of lives due to heatstroke and gastro-intestinal infections. But experts say the heatwave arrived by early March even as average summer temperatures have been rising annually.