India forecast hotter-than-usual temperatures over the coming months, increasing the grave concern over the risk of water shortages, crop damages as well as rise in coal use to curtail power blackouts in the planet’s most populous nation.
The forecasting results comes at a time when the country is preparing for general elections between mid-April and early June – a period when the mercury often crosses 45C (113F). There could be a increased threat to human lives as heat strokes, which kill dozens of people every year in the South Asian nation, could hit participants at political rallies.
Climate change is making India vulnerable to extreme weather events, with the country of 1.4 billion people getting exposed to usual occurrences of floods, cyclones, droughts and heat waves. The scorching sun will not only reduce the availability of drinking water but also drain moisture from the soil, a potential threat for few summer crops such as pulses and oilseeds. The city of Bengaluru, home to the $194 billion IT services industry, is already struggling with water crisis.
