Roads and markets have emptied during afternoons and some farmers have switched to nighttime work to avoid scorching temperatures as a heat wave grips large parts of India.
The India Meteorological Department forecast maximum temperatures for yesterday of about 45°C in the capital, New Delhi, where authorities have opened temporary “cooling zones” to help people cope.
The weather department warned that conditions would likely persist across several northern regions in the coming days, with temperatures staying well above seasonal averages.
Photo: AP
Authorities urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and take precautions against heat-related illnesses.
India declares a heat wave whenever maximum temperatures reach at least 40°C in the plains or 30°C in hilly regions.
In some parts of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, roads and markets have emptied in the afternoons as people stayed indoors while some traders shifted work to early mornings. Farmers began working at night.
Photo: AP
The heat also disrupted schools, with authorities in several areas announcing early summer vacations and suspending classes as the maximum temperature shot up to 48.2°C on Tuesday in the city of Banda.
Health authorities urged people to avoid going outdoors during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated and seek medical help if they experience dizziness or high fever.
In New Delhi, people sought relief from the heat inside cooling shelters set up across the capital. The shaded spaces provide air coolers, fans, drinking water and oral rehydration solutions.
Inside one tent on Wednesday, people sat beside air coolers as officials distributed cups of water mixed with rehydration salts.
“We had come here for an outing, but it is too hot here. The cooling system here is good for us,” 25-year-old tourist Basharat Ahmad Malla said.
India has faced more frequent and intense heat waves in the past few years, with all of its warmest years on record occurring in the past decade.
“India has warmed considerably as a result of anthropogenic [human-made] climate change in the last decade compared to previous years. Northwestern India has warmed much faster than many other parts of the country,” said Anjal Prakash, author of several UN climate reports and professor of public policy at Pune-based FLAME University.
India is accustomed to summer heat, but “climate change is loading the dice towards extreme and pervasive episodes like those we see now,” Prakash said.
Studies by public health experts found that as many as 1,116 people have died each year from 2008 to 2019 due to heat.
Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands, but because heat is often not listed on death certificates, many deaths are not counted in official figures.
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