For hundreds of millions of people living in India and Pakistan, the early arrival of summer heat waves has become a frightening reality that is testing the limits of survival capacity and putting enormous pressure on energy supply, vital plantations and subsistence means.
The two countries experience hot waves during the summer, in May and June, but this year’s hot season arrived earlier than normal and the forecast is to last longer.
Temperatures should reach hazardous levels in countries this week.
According to the Meteorological Department of Pakistan, parts of the country may face temperatures up to 8 ° C above normal between April 14 and 18.
The maximum averages in Baluchistan in the southwest of the country can reach 49 ° C.
It’s like living in the death valley – the hottest and most dry place in North America – where daytime day temperatures often reach similar levels.
Ayoub Khosa, a resident of the city of Dera Murad Jamali, Baluchistão, commented that the heat wave came with a “intensity that caught us very unprepared”, creating serious challenges for residents.
“One of the main problems is the constant falls of energy,” said Khosa, who declared to CNN that they can last up to 16 hours a day.
“This intensified the impact of heat, making people’s lives difficult,” he added.
The neighboring India has also faced extreme heat, which arrived earlier than normal.
The meteorological department warned the population in some parts of the country to prepare for a “above normal number of heat wave days” in April.
The maximum temperatures in the capital, Delhi, a city with more than 16 million inhabitants, have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius at least three times this month – up to 5 degrees above the seasonal average – said the meteorological department.
The scorching heat is also being faced in several neighboring states, including Rajasthan in the Northwest, where workers and farmers are having difficulty dealing with the situation and reports of diseases are beginning to emerge.
The maximum temperatures recorded in parts of the Rajasthan reached 44 ° C on Monday (14), according to the Department of Meteorology.
Anita Soni, from the Thar Mahila Sansthan Women Group, commented that the heat is much worse than in other years and is concerned about the impact this will have on state children and women.
When people go out to work, there is an instant lack of drinking water, they often feel like throwing up, getting sick or dizziness, she said.
Farmer Balu Lal reported that people are already getting sick due to work [ao ar livre]. “We can’t even bear work here,” he said. “When I’m out, I feel that people will burn due to the heat outside.”
Lal commented that he cares about his own work and how he will make money for the family. “We have nowhere to go,” he added.
Testing the limits of survival
Experts say the increase in temperatures is testing human boundaries.
The extreme heat has killed tens of thousands of people in India and Pakistan in recent decades, and climate experts warned that by 2050, India will be among the first places where temperatures will exceed the boundaries of survival.
In hot wave conditions, pregnant women and not yet born babies are particularly at risk. “There are inexplicable gestational losses and premature births,” commented Neha Mankani, consultant for the International Midwords Confederation in Karachi.
“In summer, 80% of babies are born prematurely with breathing problems due to climate. We also observed an increase in pregnancy-induced hypertension (which may) lead to preeclampsia-the main cause of maternal mortality.”
India and Pakistan, both with shouting disparities, must be among the nations most affected by the climate crisis – with the forecast that more than 1 billion people will be impacted on the subcontinent.
Devastating waterfall effects
The probable consequences range from lack of food and drought sudden floods due to the melting of polar hubcaps, according to Mehrunissa Malik, a specialist in climate change and sustainability of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Communities without access to cooling measures, proper housing and those that depend on these elements for subsistence will feel the effects much more acute, Malik commented.
“For farmers, the climate is irregular and difficult to predict,” she said.
“The main challenge is that temperatures are rising at a time when crops are not yet in the harvesting phase. They begin to prepare earlier, productivity decreases and, with this dry heat, need more water … If plants are still young, the intense heat reduces the chances of surviving,” he explained.
Tofiq Pasha, Karachi’s farmer and environmental activist, reported that summer starts much earlier now.
His Christmas province, Sindh, who, together with Baluchistan, has recorded some of the highest temperatures in the world in recent years, has suffered a large drought during the winter months and the shortage of rain has led to the shortage of water, he said.
“This will be a big subsistence problem for farmers,” Pasha commented, explaining how temperatures also affect the arrival of pests. “The flowers do not avenge, they fall, the fruits do not avenge, they fall, there are attacks of pests, they decimate the plantation, sometimes it is very hot … the cycles are interrupted. Food production is extremely affected.”
In the past, heat waves have increased demand for electricity, leading to coal scarcity and leaving millions of people without energy.
Trains were canceled to save energy and schools were forcibly closed, impacting learning.
This content was originally published at extreme temperature human limits in India and Pakistan on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
