HYDERABAD: The worst heat wave in living memory sweeping across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is an "extreme climate event" and if steps are not taken to reduce human-induced warming, summer temperatures could soon rise to 50 degree Celsius in many areas, top climate change experts warned.
Climate change and weather experts say the largely arid region has witnessed 1.5-2 degrees rise in temperature in recent years as against 0.85 global average, a phenomenon they say is extremely alarming.
More than 950 people have died in both states due to the blistering heat, ringing alarm bells among environmentalists and the government.
"There is now sufficient evidence to suggest that the increase in temperatures is linked to climate change and we will see more such extreme weather patterns in the near future," Nitin Desai, a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Climate Panel, told TOI.
