According to the news in the Indian press, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement that the air temperature in some parts of the country rose to 46 degrees. Pointing out that heat-related health problems have increased in India, where the air temperature has been at dangerously high levels in recent weeks, the statement also advised those with chronic illnesses to stay indoors. The statement pointed out that high air temperatures adversely affect crops and energy resources, as well as health. Meanwhile, IMD has issued a yellow alert for the extratropical storm in the north of the country. Meteorology officials expect air temperatures in some parts of the country to drop for a while, right after the storm.
EDUCATION WILL BE HELD UNTIL NOON IN HARYANA
Haryana state government has decided to change the hours of all schools in the state due to the extreme heat.
According to the decision, which covers grades 1 to 12 in all private and public schools in the state, education will take place from 7am to 12pm from May 4th.
School hours have been changed or suspended in other states besides Haryana.
EXTREME HEATS THREAT TO WHEAT PRODUCTION
The hot weather, which was effective in India, the world’s second largest wheat producer, also put the agriculture sector in danger.
Currently, due to the Russian-Ukrainian War interrupting the global wheat supply, many countries have turned their eyes to India to close the wheat deficit.
However, extreme heat in India has exacerbated the supply problem by jeopardizing crop yields.
In the country, where the early heat wave adversely affected agriculture, wheat yield decreased considerably due to the temperatures in March, which reached the highest levels since 1901.
ENERGY RESOURCES ARE IN STRIKE
On the other hand, at a time when there was a shortage of coal in power plants in the country, the people applied to air conditioners with the increase in air temperatures.
Some states in the country are experiencing power outages of up to 8 hours a day, with warnings that the situation could trigger an energy crisis.
Satyendar Jain, Minister of Energy for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, in a statement on April 29, drew attention to the shortage of coal in many power plants across the country. Jain stated that some power plants only have one day’s worth of coal left.
In a statement made by the Ministry of Energy of India on April 30, it was stated that the electricity demand in the country reached an all-time peak on April 26 and this demand will remain at a high level in May-June. In the statement, it was noted that hundreds of passenger trains, whose flights were canceled to meet the increasing electricity demand, were directed to transport coal.
In many states of India, whose electricity production depends on coal, cuts continue.
The Indian Meteorological Department announced that the air temperature recorded in the northern and central parts of the country in April was the highest air temperature in the last 122 years. (AA)