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Technology Today
Photo - Juli Kosalopova/Unsplash
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has reported that extreme heat wave is sweeping through most of India and Pakistan, leaving hundreds of millions of people suffering.
WMO reiterated its commitment to “ensuring that multi-hazard early warning services reach the most vulnerable.”
The Meteorological Department of India said that maximum temperatures reached 43-46°C in widespread areas, on 28 April, and that this intense heat will continue until 2nd May.
Similar temperatures have also been seen in Pakistan, with daytime temperatures likely to be between 5°C and 8°C above normal in large swathes of the country, said the Meteorological Department of Pakistan.
Air quality has also deteriorated and large swathes of land are at risk of fire outbreaks.
India recorded its warmest March on record, with an average maximum temperature of 33.1ºC, or 1.86°C above the long-term average.
Pakistan also recorded its warmest March for at least the past 60 years, with a number of stations breaking March records.
In the pre-monsoon period, both India and Pakistan regularly experience excessively high temperatures, especially during May.
The WMO reports that both countries are preparing to help the population affected by the heat wave.
Typical plans make sure the targeted intervention is a right fit and designed for the heat vulnerable population of an area. It first identifies the heat hotspots of the region, locates the vulnerable populations in these pockets and assesses the nature and status of their vulnerability to extreme heat.
Solar Electricity
The situation in both countries is aggravated by the fact that a majority of population in both countries which does not live in the major metropolises, does not have regular access to electricity. This makes the situation unbearable, when the people are suffering from oppressive heat and there is no electricity to run even the basic gadgets such as fans and fridge.
Pakistan has made the effort to install solar panels in its many remote villages, so that when there is no regular electric supply, people can at least run their fans and fridge with solar grid. They are mostly using a hybrid grid system, where the regular power supply is connected to the solar grid, so that at least some equipment can run on solar power in the event of a power cut.
India is a much larger country with a much larger population and many more villages. Hence, its electricity needs are also many folds larger than that of Pakistan. However, efforts are on to install solar plants in villages which can supply solar power to the villagers in the event of a power cut.
However, both countries are far from achieving a 100% power supply to all their population round the clock. This situation aggravates the problems in summer.