From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: For weeks, the Indian subcontinent has recorded above-average temperatures. Heat-related weather watches or alerts are now in effect for hundreds of millions of people, according to The New York Times.
Now, experts say, the extreme heat is about to get even worse over the weekend. In some hard-hit areas, it may be weeks before the region’s annual monsoon sweeps in to provide relief.
The heat wave poses health and logistical challenges for manual laborers, farmers, power engineers, government officials and firefighters, particularly in areas where air-conditioning is scarce. “Everything is ready to burn,” the director of fire services in New Delhi said.
Agriculture: Scorching temperatures have damaged harvests. One farmer in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan told The Times that 15 to 20 percent of the local wheat crop and half the cumin crop had been lost.
Analysis: Climate scientists say that heat waves around the world are growing more frequent, more dangerous and longer in duration. And they are certain that global warming is responsible, because baseline temperatures are higher than they were decades ago.
