GUWAHATI: The sudden
heat in the middle of July-making temperatures soar to 38 degree Celsius in the capital-has not only taken everyone by surprise but also left them in a state of panic when five deaths were reported from different parts of the state on Friday. It has, however, not been established if the deaths were due to sun strokes.
On Friday, capital city Delhi sizzled at 33 degree Celsius.
Meteorologists are also puzzled by the unusual heat in the monsoon when this city should have been experiencing cooler days. Health officials said that the deceased were not taken to any of the government healthcare facilities in their respective areas by their family members.
Unofficial reports said a factory worker in
Tezpur died while working in a sultry condition, while an elderly person at Jania in
Barpeta district died after his existing ailment aggravated because of the heat. Three others died in Balipara in Sonitpur, Rangiya in Kamrup and Diphu in Karbi Anglong districts.
While climate researchers did not rule out the impact of global warming in the spike, they also blamed local
weather conditions for pushing up the mercury.
Many parts of the northeast, including Guwahati, have been receiving less rainfall causing the temperature to shoot this season.
"If we take the case of Guwahati, like other cities in India, it is also becoming a heat island where heat due to increasing urban activities is getting trapped. On top of that the rainfall is less. On Saturday, there was a light breeze and a drizzle and the temperature came down by a few notches," said Partha Jyoti Das, climate researcher and head of biodiversity conservation body Aaranyak's water, climate and hazard division.
This monsoon, five states in the region received deficit rainfall between June 1 and July 17, with Manipur recording 69% rainfall deficiency, the highest in the country. Arunachal Pradesh, which otherwise receives excess rainfall, has a 32% rain deficit, while Assam and Meghalaya recorded 26% and 42% rain deficiency respectively. Nagaland too received 38% less rain.
In 2012, a study showed that rainfall in Assam from 1950 to 2010 had recorded a steady decline and ever since the rainfall has been going down every year. The study was conducted by the Guwahati-based Centre for Environment, Social and Policy Research, Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi (RGVN) and Indian Network on Ethnic and Climate Change (INECC) on the 'Impact of Climate Change on Marginalized women'.
Beat the heat
