Kerala’s bad times with weather continues. Less than eight months after the disastrous floods, the State is reeling under a severe heat wave. March was cruel, and April looks worse. Since summer began, four people have died and nearly 1,000 have suffered sunburn and sunstroke. Wildfires, often caused by humans, have destroyed large tracts of forests.
The Kerala Disaster Management Authority has warned people, including politicians on election campaign, against venturing out in the sun. The temperature rose to 41 degrees Celsius in some parts of Kerala against an average high of 36 degrees. The India Met Department has called for vigil as all districts except Wayanad are projected to see a rise in temperature by two or three degrees. Particularly vulnerable are Palakkad and Alappuzha. Summer showers have mostly stayed away. The vanishing of ponds, streams and rivulets and the emergence of concrete jungles are being blamed for the unwelcome change in temperature.