Thursday, April 20, 2023

The particular problem facing India

First story:

India is set to overtake China to become the most populous country in the world by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations shows.

India's population is expected to reach 1.4286 billion - 2.9 million more than its neighbour on 1.4257 billion.

The Asian nations have accounted for more than a third of the global population for over 70 years.

Second story:

 Heatwave: Is India ready to deal with extreme temperatures?

 Earlier this week, 12 people died from heatstroke and many others were admitted to hospital after attending a government-sponsored event in an open ground under a blazing sun in Navi Mumbai in India's Maharashtra state....

The weather office has predicted above-average temperatures and heatwaves until the end of May. Average temperatures in India have risen by around 0.7% between 1901 and 2018, partly due to climate change.

Heatwaves killed more than 22,000 people between 1992 and 2015, according to official figures. Experts reckon the actual toll would be much higher. Yet, the country really "hasn't understood the importance of heat and how heat can kill", says Dileep Mavalankar, director of the Gujarat-based Indian Institute of Public Health. "This is partly because we don't compile our mortality data properly."

 

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