[Vause:] Well, millions in India are enduring one of the longest heat waves the country has ever seen. CNN's Amara Walker has details.
[Amara Walker, Cnn Correspondent:] Hospitals are feeling the heat in India. In Bihar, dozens of people have died since Saturday from heat-related conditions, with temperatures hovering at 40 degrees Celsius and higher. It's so hot the government has imposed a curfew to prevent people from going outdoors and closed schools until the temperatures drop. Officials say about two-thirds of India has been affected by severe heat this summer in one of the longest heat waves the country has ever experienced. The high temperatures are also adding to the misery in Chennai, where water sources have run dry. Women have to line up in the scorching heat to wait their turn at the pump. "We depend almost completely on this water, as all the nearby reservoirs have gone dry. After 30 people in the line, we get our turn to fill water. There's no water in this entire area. We are suffering a lot without water." Many restaurants and businesses have shut down temporarily, until the monsoon rain come and replenish the water supply. Weather forecasters say those rains have been delayed, so relief from the drought and heat is still at least a week away. Amara Walker, CNN.
[Vause:] Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with more on the forecast. You know, when you get those temperatures and then just go on day after day after day, and no relief. It's just miserable.
[Pedram Javaheri, Cnn Meteorologists:] It is. And it really shows you, John, what's happening right now. The significance of just a couple of days of delay on millions and millions of people here. Of course, this has been an extended heat wave here, 20-plus consecutive days across Delhi, at least, where temps have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. And the monsoons about eight days behind schedule when you look at the climatological norm. Why are we seeing the water shortages? Well, we know there's been a decline not only in the rainfall across the wet season, but also in the dry season. We've seen the dry season extend beyond what it typically resides in across, say, the months of September through April on into May. And then you take a look. The ground water depletion rates have also increased as a result. Of course, climate change all plays into this, as well, some ten to 25 millimeters per year of groundwater depletion. And a study actually came out last year, referencing at least 20 cities across India could see their ground water completely disappear within the next year or so, and that does include Haderi and areas around Chennai, as well. It really speaks to what's been happening across this region. But notice the decline. From 1970, the average rainfall in the summer crop season was about 1,050 millimeters. That has dropped below 1,000 millimeters. And then you look at the dry season, the winter season. The rainfall amounts were about 150 millimeters. They've dropped below 100 millimeters in recent years. So all of this really works hand in hand in why we're seeing these shortages. The trough to the south, it should be well here to the north. Without it, we've seen those temperatures remain above 40 to 45 degrees. And of course, you look at the last seven years. Areas in red here, indicative of below-average rainfall. In the monsoon season, notice, only one year have we had a surplus since 2012 across the Indian subcontinent. And of course, the progression, the latter portion of June, we want to see it again well to the north. That would bring much cooler temperatures. That would replenish, of course, the reservoirs across this region. But still, seeing tremendously heat. Areas around Calcutta, John, seeing heat indices approaching 50 degrees yet again, where it should be much, much cooler by this time of year.
[Vause:] Pedram, thank you. Appreciate the update. The devastating impact of a warming planet has been captured in a stunning image of Greenland's melting ice sheet. A photo was taken a few days ago by scientist Steffen Olsen. His sled dogs would normally be running on ice, but that they're knee-deep in wide expanse of light-blue water. Greenland's melt season runs from June to August, but on this one day, June 13, 40 percent of the island's ice sheet experienced melting. Here's Olsen talking to CNN about the image.
[Steffen Olsen, Climatologist:] I was, perhaps like like many others now, a bit overwhelmed by the impressive melting we saw during the day and the situation was somehow getting a little bit out of hand, or we were getting out of our comfort zone, working on the ice. And so, yes, I want to document the situation and to and to likely also had an idea that it would be some kind of a scientific evidence of the situation.
[Vause:] Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay tuned now. WORLD SPORT is next. You're watching CNN.