The heat is on: Harsher summers call for area-specific action plans

Water scarcity is amongst the most worrisome potential fallouts of a searing summer

The prediction by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) that summer will set in early this year and will be harsher than normal has ominous implications. It also calls for advance planning to mitigate its adverse consequences. Maximum temperatures in most parts of the country, barring the southern peninsula, are projected to remain over 1 degree Celsius above normal with frequent and relatively more intense heat waves between March and May. If this prognosis holds true, which seems quite likely considering the good track record of the IMD’s previous summer heat predictions, it will be the third consecutive year of unbearably