India braces for more intense heat waves after stifling April

[marmar]

NEW DELHI: India must be prepared for more intense heat waves to come, the country’s meteorological department told Arab News, as the South Asian nation recorded unusual heat in April along with other countries in the region.

Large parts of Asia, from India to southern China to Thailand, was enveloped for weeks with intense heat waves that set in unusually early this year. Though April is typically one of the warmest months, 2023 saw countries including Laos, Thailand and Myanmar experiencing their highest recorded temperatures of between 42 C to more than 45 C.

Temperatures in India’s Prayagraj district and eastern Odisha state had exceeded 44 C in mid-April, while at least 13 people died and more than 50 others taken to hospital from heatstroke in the western Maharashtra state.

“You must prepare yourself. Be sure that carbon emission is not getting reduced in the coming decade so the intensity of the heat wave will increase further,” K. J. Ramesh, director general of meteorology at the India Meteorological Department, told Arab News.

Heat waves are common between March and July in the country, but the hot spells have become more intense, more frequent and longer in recent years. ............(more)

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2296041/world