Mercury rising: It’s only February, but Kerala is already scorching

Meteorologists say January was the hottest in many years and February may also break the record if the current situation continues.

Over the past week a heat wave in Kerala has pushed up temperatures in many places by two to four degree Celsius, heralding an early summer in the state.

After a warning by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), authorities in Kerala had rescheduled working hours of labourers and others who work in the open. (Representative image/HT Photo)

Meteorologists say January was the hottest in many years and February may also break the record if the current situation continues. On Saturday, the mercury had touched 38 degrees Celsius in Palakkad, making it the hottest February in the recent past.

After a warning by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), authorities had rescheduled working hours of labourers and others who work in the open. It also issued warnings against sunburn and other heat-related maladies.

“Climate change is a reality and every year the globe is getting hotter. It is a fact that mercury levels are up in Kerala in recent years. Change in wind pattern and dip in sea breeze on Arabian Sea are reasons for the present trend,” said Dr K Santhosh, director of the IMD regional centre in Thiruvananthapuram. But he said it cannot be seen as an indicator of harsh summer.

Farmers are also dejected at the early onset of summer. They had suffered heavy losses in last two years due to floods and landslides. Cash crops were also hit badly as hilly areas witnessed torrential rains last year. Spices like cardamom and pepper were the worst-hit, farmers said. Kerala produces some of the best pepper variety in the world.

But pepper farmers have suffered a double whammy - a glut in global markets and hike in imports have pushed pepper prices to the lowest in the decade. “In Wayanad, many farmers have stopped cultivating pepper. Recurring natural disasters and price crash have taken the flavour out of pepper,” said K C Prabhakaran, a farmer in Vyttiri.

Some areas in the state are also reeling under severe water shortage and fires were reported in forest areas. Three guards were killed in a major fire in Desamangalam in Thrissur two days ago. The forest guards were trying to put the fire but were trapped in the inferno.

“Our preliminary indications suggest that wildfire was a man-made disaster. Dry bushes and strong winds aggravated the blaze in no time,” said P K Kesavan, head of the state forest force, who ordered an inquiry into the mishap.