September 28, 2023
An article published in The Washington Post delves into the ways global warming and heat waves expose India’s inequality and affect the health and well-being of people living in slums and other crowded areas with water shortages and long power outages in Kolkata, India.
As life gets hotter, residents who are crowded into slums or unauthorized colonies — one-third of the city’s population — will be the most at risk for health problems, heat stroke and death, experts say, while wealthier neighbors who live in air-conditioned homes on leaf-shaded streets will fare better.
OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan comments, “the rising temperatures will cause far more cases of heat stress and death while fostering the spread of cholera and dengue fever. Indians are disproportionately exposed to these effects, and it’s a huge risk that India is totally unprepared for.”
Read the article here.
