A recent study has found that humid heatwaves, that occurred less than once in a century in India and Bangladesh, can now be expected to happen once in five years. If temperature rise reaches 2°C—as is expected within 30 years if emissions are not cut rapidly—events like this will occur, on average, at least once every two years.
This conclusion comes from a rapid attribution analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists in the World Weather Attribution group. The study concludes that human-caused climate change made April’s record-breaking humid heatwave in Bangladesh, India, Laos, and Thailand at least 30 times more likely.
In April, parts of south and southeast Asia experienced an intense heatwave, with record-breaking temperatures that passed 42ºC in Laos and 45°C in Thailand. The heat caused widespread hospitalizations, damaged roads, and sparked fires and school closures. The number of deaths remains unknown.
11 dead, 4 Hospitalized in Gas Leak in Northern India
Eleven people died and four more were hospitalized after a gas leak Sunday, April 30 in northern India’s Punjab state, local media reported.
The incident occurred at an industrial area in Ludhiana City, but the source of the gas leak is still unclear, police told the Press Trust of India news agency.
India’s National Disaster Response Force sealed off the densely populated area and evacuated residents.
Authorities were trying to ascertain the type of gas in the leak, PTI quoted disaster response officials as saying.
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik told the news agency it was possible that the gas may have spread from manholes.
“We are going to collect samples from manholes. It is quite likely that some chemical reacted with methane in manholes,” she said.
The state’s chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, said the leak came from a factory but didn’t provide more details in a tweet. “All possible help is being provided,” he wrote.
Source: apnews.com