The heat wave in Asia

Woman in Uttar Pradesh, one of the states hit hard by the heat. Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

The heat wave in Asia  

Working women vulnerable: My ability to work is shrinking  

The oppressive heat in India risks putting already vulnerable women in a very difficult financial situation, writes Time magazine. It is about people who subsist on small-scale manufacturing in or near their homes, often in slums without the possibility of cooling off.  

One of them is 44-year-old Bhanu ben Jadav, who tries to support her family on the 300 kroner she normally earns by making necklaces. 

- I get a headache, feel sick and vomit. My ability to work is shrinking. I am losing so much because of the extreme heat.  

To help women in her situation, a type of insurance is being developed that provides payouts at high temperatures. 

- I can't afford air conditioning, but if I can pay for the insurance and get something back, it's worth a try, says Bhanu ben Jadav. 

 

Children cool off in the Forbidden City. Andy Wong / AP  

The heat wave in Asia 

Extreme heat plagues Asia: "Felt like the floor was on fire"  

In several places in Asia, people are tormented by the oppressive heat. One of them is Lucy Yu who traveled from Shanghai to Beijing to visit the traditional Dragon Boat Festival and the Forbidden City in Beijing. 

- I had to cancel the rest of our plans and stay at the hotel, it felt like the floor was on fire when we visited the palace, she tells the South China Morning Post.  

In northern India, heat records have been broken when the thermometer showed 46 degrees. Both hospitals and morgues are overloaded, writes TT. 

In Vietnam, the need for air conditioning has become so great that the authorities have been forced to ration electricity.