India’s heatwave tests water supply

Dizzying temperatures caused water shortages in thousands of Indian villages and killed hundreds more people over the past day, driving the death toll from the heatwave to at least 1,826, officials said on Friday.
Meteorological officials called the heatwave “severe” and warned that it would continue for at least two more days across a huge swathe of the South Asian country, from Tamil Nadu in the south to the Himalayan foothill state of Himachal Pradesh.
Most of those killed by heat-related conditions including dehydration and heat stroke have been in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where 100 people died just on Thursday as temperatures hovered about 43 degrees Celsius.
Thousands of water tankers were delivering supplies to more than 4,000 villages and hamlets facing acute water shortages in the central state of Maharashtra, state officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.
People across India were plunging into rivers, staying in the shade and drinking lots of water to try to beat the heat. Scorched crops and dying wildlife were reported, with some animals succumbing to thirst.
Many farmers and construction workers struggling with poverty were still working outdoors despite the risks. They along with the impoverished elderly were among the most vulnerable. Cooling monsoon rains were expected next week in the south before gradually advancing north.
However, forecasting service AccuWeather warned of prolonged drought conditions, with the monsoon likely to be disrupted by a more active typhoon season over the Pacific.
“While there will be some rainfall on the region, the pattern could evolve into significant drought and negatively impact agriculture from Central India to much of Pakistan,” senior meteorologist Jason Nicholls at AccuWeather said in a statement.?
Experts say the official figures likely understate the true impact because heatstroke disproportionately affects the poor and homeless, who are less likely to die in hospitals.
Most of the confirmed deaths are in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where doctors described hospitals overflowing with victims of severe heatstroke.
P Tulsi Rani, special commissioner for disaster management in the state, said the high number of deaths was down to record high temperatures over a longer period that usual.
“So many people died this year because the heatwave is continuing for a longer period than it normally does, and also record temperatures have been recorded in a number of places,” he said.
“It [the heatwave] has been continuing for a longer period, for about seven to eight days now, whereas usually it only lasts for a few days.”
Authorities in Telangana said they were running a television campaign to teach people how to stay cool and recognise the symptoms of heat stroke, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Streets of the state capital Hyderabad were deserted during the hottest period of the day, with many shops and businesses shut.
“All month I’ve basically stayed inside the house,” said 28-year-old Tejaswini Madhabhushi, who works at a policy institute in the city.
“The biggest problem is the power cuts. If they cut power in the afternoon then it gets unbearably hot, and we also run into a water shortage since the overhead tanks can’t be refilled.” Syed Samad, who owns a business renting out air conditioning units, said trade was brisk.