Heat Wave Kills More Than 700 in India

[gatagato]

Stifling heat has killed more than 700 people (and counting) in India in less than one week.

The worst-hit area is the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, where authorities say more than 550 people have died in the last four to five days. Another 215 have died in the neighboring state of Telangana.

India recorded its highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius -- 117 degrees Fahrenheit -- at Angul in Odisha on Monday, according to B.P. Yadav, the director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The hot, dry conditions are being made worse by winds blowing in from Pakistan's Sindh province across the northern and central plains of India. "This extreme, dry heat is being blown into India by westerly winds," Yadav said.

The high temperatures are expected to continue for another two days before any respite, the IMD warned on Tuesday. However, the agency said that another hot spell would likely soon follow.

Among the states worst-hit by this season's heat wave are Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The national capital of New Delhi, neighboring Haryana state, the desert province of Rajasthan and several central and eastern regions are also bearing the brunt of intense summer, Yadav said.

Heating taking toll on the poor
Many of the dead are reported to be poorer people, beggars and the homeless, as well as construction workers who are expected to work on building sites in direct sunlight.

Only about one third of the country's 1.2 billion people have access to electricity, meaning millions are enduring the blistering heat without relief.

For those who do have electricity, power has dipped in and out as extra demand to run fans and air conditioning has put pressure on the system, said CNN's Mumbai correspondent Mallika Kapur.

Many people without ways to cool their homes are seeking shelter in shops and malls -- anything to escape the heat, she said.

Rain forecast
Temperatures have been at a sustained high over the past few days, with little change even at night, and are expected to remain this high for days, CNN meteorologist Tom Sater said.

India's monsoons will provide some relief, but the rains are projected to arrive in one more week. Once they hit India's southeastern coastline, they will likely take a few more weeks to hit the drier northern parts of India.

State authorities have been advising people to stay indoors and drink water.

Experts say that hot conditions should not normally lead to this many fatalities. But many of the affected areas in India are humid, which worsens the level of stress caused by excessive heat.

Heat waves are not uncommon in India. Studies suggest they are likely to get more intense and more frequent.

http://www.herald.co.zw/heatwave-kills-over-500/
http://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2015/05...n_7438236.html

[Pollucy]

Insane! Swedish media reports over 800 dead and temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius.

[pieandsauce]

imagine the smell

[Steve]

Only a third have electricity, that's an eye opener.

[niknik]

India needs to get there shit together. They need to use there resources to help modernize their country. I read a while back there's 1 trillion dollars worth of gold stashed away in Indian temples.
And there economy is capable of building infrastructure, if it wasn't corrupt.

[icheerthebull]

Originally Posted by Top Gear

Only a third have electricity, that's an eye opener.

I would have thought it would be lower. For all the wealth and growth it's a crime how many live in poverty. The fact a lot don't have access to water would be more detrimental I would think

I hate the heat. The first time I went to Catalonia there was a Europe wide heat wave, think a few hundred died in France because of it. Was very uncomfortable

Edit - just looked it up, apparently 70,000 people in Europe died

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wave

[TheVrist]

We should get us ton of ganja river pics then

[gatagato]

Originally Posted by icheerthebull

Edit - just looked it up, apparently 70,000 people in Europe died

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wave

I remember that heat wave darn well, one of the sensors recorded 45+° C in Sicily, 43°C here in Sardinia but France was struck in the worst of manners for sure, despite the highest temperatures recorded there were around the 40° C, with only a few exceptions:
the surprisingly hight death toll (15,000+) was later explained. What happened that year is that the temperatures remained at impressive highs at night too: houses built with concrete, stones, bricks etc accumulate heat during the day, then they dissipate the heat overnight, IF the temperature drops below certain degrees (which is what always happened there, in the last centuries). It's known as natural cooling circle.
However, this didn't happen that year, but it's not the unusual temperature the only one to blame, there

Paradoxically, most of those belonging to the weakest groups (elderly people residing in hospitals, or in nurse homes or anyway being assisted by someone) survived, while those not needing constant care, those used to live by themselves had to face a situation that they had never faced before: most of them died simply because they didn't know what to do, or because they were too impaired (physically and mentally) by the heat: and no way to contact their relatives, their doctor or whatever, since they were all on holidays, (including their Health Minister). It's safe to say that loneliness killed the half of them, to say the very least.

[Arkoquisa]

Sounds like my kind of weather.

Not even joking...

The secrete is Talc, keep your balls and ass swamp free.

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by Arkoquisa

Sounds like my kind of weather.

Not even joking...

The secrete is Talc, keep your balls and ass swamp free.

Hahaha The Chef in a restaurant I used to work at years ago swore by cornstarch, so just to be punks some of the other linecooks switched out his cornstarch with powdered sugar. He found it funny after the initial shock and rage wore off, and after washing his nads clean, of course