According to Das Erste news agency, this year's heat wave started unusually early and lasted in many parts of India throughout April. Currently, temperatures remain high as the heat waves continue, causing dry, hot and hot weather since the beginning of spring.
On April 25, some cities in India recorded the highest temperature of up to 42.8 degrees Celsius. In Wardha city, Maharashtra state, the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius.
According to weather forecasts, temperatures in the country will continue to rise, rising to an average of 5-8 degrees Celsius this weekend. Northern and western India, especially areas near the borders with Pakistan and Nepal, could see the most severe heat of 44-46 degrees Celsius in the middle of the week. From Friday to Sunday, temperatures could reach 49 degrees Celsius if forecast correctly.
According to the Washington Post, most Indian households live in poverty and do not have air conditioners, making people vulnerable to heat, especially the elderly.
Rajbir, a tuk-tuk driver in New Delhi, avoided the sun in the shade with a headscarf, saying, Yes, it was hot today, I had to stand in the shade. If customers come, I will go outside. Rajbir only has a bottle of water in his car and has to work 7 to 8 hours a day.
In an online meeting with heads of Indian states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned about the increasing risk of fire.
The index on thermometers is rising rapidly in India, which is often not noted at this time of year. In that situation, the number of fires is also increasing. In recent days, fires have broken out in many forests, historical sites and hospitals, said Mr. Modi.
In the capital New Delhi, a giant landfill has been on fire for several days, with smoke covering the north of the city and difficult to extinguish due to the hot weather.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall in March only reached about 1/4 to 1/3 of normal, causing crops to wither. Some places are lacking water.
Hot weather also increases the pressure on the grid, causing frequent power outages. Some states in India are supplied with hourly electricity. Many thermal power plants are running low in coal, and the rivers and ice in the Himalaya are melting at an astonishing rate.
Climatologist Mariam Zakharia believes this is definitely a consequence of climate change: This (ice melting) happened every 50 years, but now it is every 4 years. If we don't do anything, it will happen more often."
Last year, at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Indian Prime Minister Modi said that the country could only achieve climate neutrality by 2070 with financial support from developed countries. New Delhi will also depend on many coal-fired thermal power plants for a long time.
Meanwhile, meteorologists warn that the heat wave in India will spread and become more severe in the coming days.
