Indian Heatwave (2015)

[eye_of_tiger]

I was most concerned and upset to read today that some states in India are currently experiencing severe heat wave conditions.

India heatwave: More than 500 dead as temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius; Andhra Pradesh and Telangana worst-hit states.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-25/i ... ds/6496314

I was wondering if any of our members had been directly affected by these extreme weather conditions, or whether they might have friends or family members who have.

Could we please use this thread as a meeting place for any of us (not just those living in India) to talk to each other about this subject, and to help support our Indian members through this major ordeal?

In our prayers and positive thoughts,

EoT

[srimathi29]

Hello Friend
                     Even i feel very sad about many deaths, in Andra pradesh. but wE are main cause.Why you know going against nature like cutting all Grenadines and constructing Big buildings  so climatic condition changes. So only thing we have to pray for GOOD!

[eye_of_tiger]

Friend,

Here in Australia we are being told by the media that the people living in the most heat affected states including Andra Pradesh are so poor that they have no choice other than to work in the fields for many hours each day, ignoring what would be the sensible advice to keep out of the midday sun and to ensure that they drink enough fluids.

They are painting a picture of an area where there would be no big buildings.

Isn't hundreds of your citizens dying during a major heatwave each summer almost an annual event in India, but this summer's death toll which has now passed 2000 is already the second worst on record?

This 2015 killer heatwave is believed to be due more to global warming than to human activity, although of course cutting down native forests and the constantly growing need to house more people every day is not helping matters.

Could you please explain what Grenadines are? I am assuming that they are some type of tree, but my Google search came up negative for this.

Thanks,

EoT  :smt087

[Jayashree Ravi]

Very, very sorry EOT ji - just now I read your thread.

Yes, as usual the heatwave this past 'Agni Nakshatram' in India had been its worst! (Agni Nakshatram: A period spanning few weeks in Summer coinciding with mid-May when the heatwave is supposed to be at its peak in India).

My family (mother, sister) live there. I have to tell you, my mother is a 73 yr old woman, an elderly diabetic living in meagre savings, and thus does not have centralized AC in the house and she finds it extremely hard to survive the heat wave every year! She lives in Chennai, a city down South India. She complains of boils erupting all over the body along with a sensation of extreme tiredness, constant thirst and frequent urination if she manages to drink lot of cool water - A hellish experience all things joined together!

In general, this heatwave is merciless for elderly people and patients, as many people cannot afford to have AC facilities or have the need to go out frequently.

[eye_of_tiger]

Your mother has my deepest sympathy as being an elderly diabetic patient is difficult enough to have to deal with, without having to put up with all this added stress every year.

And of course with her limited savings, she does not have the option of moving to another state where the effects of the annual heatwave are less severe or effectively absent.

They say that it is a combination  of the excessive heat and high water content in the air or humidity which is the main cause of their chronic fatigue. Once the air temperature exceeds  the blood temperature which is normally 37.2 degrees Celsius, one of the body's most effective ways of getting rid off heat is blocked.

Is there any chance that the water supply where your family lives is contaminated, as I thought that constant boils developing over the entire body  are often a symptom of a buildup of toxins in the bloodstream?

Also do you believe that the high death rate in such areas each year is largely ignored by your government  because of the huge number of people who are affected and a lack of public money and other resources to be able to give them the support which would be expected in countries with a smaller population, with more money to spare for the poor and ill and elderly.

Sorry about all these questions but I must admit that I am having great difficulty accepting why this type of natural and human disaster is still being allowed to destroy so many lives in the 21st century.

I am also not proud of our current Federal government who have made major cuts to the foreign aid budget to balance their books. I feel that they have forgotten that people's needs are basically the same wherever they live on this planet, and that we are all citizens of the world and not just citizens of the country of our birth.

I think that modern Australian society insulates us from the suffering of others who are not so fortunate, and it was with this in mind that I posted this in an attempt to make our members in more affluent countries.more aware of and have greater empathy for their fellow human beings.

To me loving, respecting and caring for each other regardless of any differences between us, is the highest religion of all.

Namaste,

EoT

[Jayashree Ravi]

EOT ji,

My mother's boils I think came from a pre-existing condition - chronic Eczema. It gave her swelling of both the legs from knee down, cracked, flaky and extremely itchy skin which were all worsened by the excess heat. Her Eczema trouble coincided unfortunately with the heat wave. At first she did not know what was causing the problem and rubbed oil on such skin which gave her even more discomfort, with oil smeared all over! Then she went to the doctor and got diagnosed and took proper medicine, and then felt little better. I don't know how many people in rural India who are spending days with homemade treatments are surviving like this!

Yes, you are absolutely right, Indian govt does not take any precaution or relief measures for those suffering from the heat wave without proper air conditioning facilities! It is unfortunate that where a country is so populated with many people living below poverty line, the weather chooses to play havoc annually!

Thank you very much for expressing your sympathy and support!