Adapting to temperatures at 50 degrees: how do individuals manage?

India and Pakistan engage in heated territorial dispute. - Adapting to temperatures at 50 degrees: how do individuals manage?

A burglar in the bustling city of Lucknow, India, fell asleep while stealing because of how unbearably hot it's been recently. He stumbled upon a climate control device, an incredibly pricey luxury item most people in India can't afford, and decided to turn it on. He then snoozed away on the cold floor. The police eventually found him, and his photo spread across the internet.

Temperatures above 40 degrees are the norm in South Asia at this time of year, and areas most affected by climate change have seen record-breaking heat as well, with temperatures surpassing 50 degrees according to the German Weather Service. In this scorching weather, India recently held its parliamentary elections - a massive undertaking with almost a billion people heading to voting stations on separate days. There were cases of heat exhaustion, with some suffering and others losing their lives. According to news reports, 33 poll workers died in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in just one day.

Water scarcity in some places

Officials urged people to stay inside as much as possible, but a food supplier named Vijay Kumar Singh in the Delhi metropolitan area has no choice. He spends his days zipping through the dry, sweltering heat on his motorcycle. Sometimes his bike seat is so hot that he covers it with cloth and wraps his hands in it as well. "Waiting in the blazing sun in front of doors feels like my back is burning through," Singh said.

People also griped about water shortages in certain areas. A recent report by the Indian news channel NDTV disclosed that over a hundred dams in the country had water levels drop to a mere fraction of their storage capacity, based on data from the central water authority.

Indian and Pakistani authorities have taken preventative measures. Schools were temporarily shut down, zoos were supposed to cool their animals with misting water, and in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, they had covered thousands of rooftops of poorer neighborhoods with reflective paint a few years back. This helped lower the temperatures somewhat.

Fruit drinks and iced water

In the Pakistani city of Dadu, resident Meer Shahdad Laghari mentioned seeing authorities handing out fruit drinks and cold water to passersby to combat the intense heat wave. "This heatwave is unprecedented in terms of duration and intensity. It feels like we're living in hell," Laghari, a 29-year-old, commented. He's concerned that he might have to leave his city if these extreme temperatures become more common. The experts back him up. "We're experiencing more frequent and more intense heat waves," says Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). "This trend will continue due to climate change."

Germany must be prepared for more extreme temperatures too, warns the German Weather Service (DWD). In recent years, there have been many records broken - like the 41.2 degrees recorded in two locations in North Rhine-Westphalia - Duisburg-Baerl and Tönisvorst - on July 25, 2019. Even in Europe, a heat record was shattered at 48.8 degrees - in Italian Sicily in August 2021.

Food supplier Singh and millions of others can only hope that the heatwave will subside soon. Even during the nights, temperatures don't dip below 30 degrees. His room, which he shares with two others, has only one window and a fan. "When the power goes out and the lights go out, we all go outside - then there's at least some wind. Hot wind." Everything feels hot to him right now: the water he drinks, the streets, his clothes - including his bed.

• German Weather Service: https://www.dwd.de/DE/wait/index-ger.html
• Indian television station NDTV: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO): https://public.wmo.int/en/home

Read also:

1. Despite the heatwave, India held its parliamentary elections across various regions, including Uttar Pradesh in North India.
2. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that Germany, like South Asia, must be prepared for more extreme temperatures due to climate change.
3. In New Delhi, India, water scarcity has been a concern, with over a hundred dams having water levels drop significantly.
4. In anticipation of the heatwave, authorities in Pakistan handed out fruit drinks and cold water to passersby in the city of Dadu.
5. Temperatures in Pakistan have reached unprecedented levels, with resident Meer Shahdad Laghari commenting, "It feels like we're living in hell."
6. A food supplier in Delhi, Vijay Kumar Singh, struggles to deliver goods under the scorching heat, covering his bike seat with cloth and wrapping his hands to protect his skin.
7. The Water Management Department in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been spraying fog on streets and public places to combat the high temperatures.
8. Climate change has led to record-breaking heat in India, with temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius in areas like Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.

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