downtoearth-subscribe

An Indian summer

India experienced the worst summer in fifty years which left more than 3,000 dead and millions soaking in sweat. The heat wave took its toll in almost every state in the country, the worst-affected being Orissa. According to a Met official, the south-easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, which usually blow across Orissa in May, were missing this time. These winds normally nullify the effect of the heat wave brought by the surface winds from the northwest plains of the country thereby causing thunderstorms and preventing the temperature from rising further.

Environmentalists, non-governmental organisations as well as some meteorologists attribute the unprecedented heat wave to unchecked deforestation, the El Ni

Related Content