Scorching heatwave in India’s Rajasthan kills 9
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A woman walking back to her home after filling water from a shallow well in a desert area on a hot day in Barmer, Rajasthan, India.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI - At least nine people have died of suspected heatstroke in India’s western state of Rajasthan, reported the media on May 24, with temperatures expected to soar further amid predictions of a severe heatwave.
Searing heat in the country’s north has been a cause of concern during the general election, and the capital, New Delhi, is set to vote on May 25 in temperatures forecast to be around 45 deg C.
India’s summer temperatures often peak in May, but scientists have predicted more heatwave days than usual in 2024, largely caused by fewer non-monsoon thunder showers and an active but weakening El Nino weather phenomenon.
At least nine deaths in Rajasthan were suspected to have resulted from people falling sick in the sweltering heat, the local media reported.
The state’s disaster management officials told Reuters they had yet to ascertain the cause, as medical examinations were not complete.
The news comes after the city of Barmer in Rajasthan topped temperature charts this week at a record 48.8 deg C on May 23.
Weather officials have warned of conditions ranging from a heatwave to a severe heatwave in many parts of the state, as well as in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.
Indian weather officials set the heatwave threshold at a maximum temperature of 40 deg C in the country’s plains, as well as a departure of at least 4.5 deg C from the normal maximum temperature.
In the southern state of Kerala, by contrast, at least seven people died following pre-monsoon rain that was about 18 per cent heavier than normal, bringing floods that disrupted flight schedules in some areas. REUTERS
