India heat wave: Maharashtra and Gujarat affected, people die, farmers suffer

Dubai: Mercury soared high in parts of Gujarat and central Maharashtra as a heat wave gripped parts of India leading to deaths and also affecting crops.

According to a report by newspaper the Mumbai Mirror, a 35-year-old man died of a heatstroke in Maharashtra’s Akola district. He was found unconscious outside the gate of a woman’s hospital.

There were additional reports of people dying of heat strokes in other parts of the two states.

The Indian Meteorogical Department (IMD) issued a heat wave warning for residents, with high temperatures reported since Saturday, April 27.

According to an official, temperatures crossed 47 degrees celsius on Sunday, and are likely to increase further in the coming weeks, the report stated.

Indian newspaper Times of India said that the heat wave will extend to Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday April 30, as temperatures rose “five degrees above normal.”

What is a heat wave?

It is a prolonged period of abnormally hot weather. Severe heat waves can cause crop faliure and death. They can have severe health effects and cause power outages in some areas.

Farmers affected

The heat wave has taken a toll on Indian farmers, especially in Maharashtra, as they are battling drought. Both cattle and crops have been affected.

According to Indian media reports, the situation is worse as this time, there is a severe shortage of water in dams by almost half, as compared to statistics in 2018.

To make matters worse, the Bank of Maharashtra is not giving loans to drought-hit farmers.

As reported by Indian newspaper, The Hindu: “State-run lender, Bank of Maharashtra, has decided not to extend loans in eight zones in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh … The bank cited high bad loans from agricultural advances in the branches of these zones for the decision.”

These include the Aurangabad, Latur, Akola, and Amravati districts.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar is currently on a tour of the areas severely affected by the calamity. He began his tour after completing his political campaign in Maharashtra.

Pawar was the former Union Minister of Agriculture. An NCP spokesperson was quoted by Times of India as saying; “He felt it was important to visit the drought affected regions as the State government is failing to provide much-needed relief.”

Elections 2019

Phase four of the Lok Sabha 2019 elections are underway and voting began in Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states on April 29.

On social media, many users blamed the government for still conducting voting in the areas, despite the current weather conditions.

News reports on the heat wave were widely shared on social media, with users concerned about inaction.

Tweep @a4c68e5b7aa8495 posted: “Who is responsible for the death of booth duty officers due to heat wave? Why is the election conducted in such months, please justify, is it [the Election] Comission or the Supreme Court? Shall we boycott voting, or next time will you change the months of the election voting?”

Users commented on how politicians make promises during election season, but nothing is being practically implemented.