As the mercury continues to rise, concerns are with the vulnerable, including the young, elderly and those with asthma or respiratory diseases.
High ozone levels
On Wednesday, New South Wales Health authorities warned that the high temperatures are expected to contribute to “high ozone” air pollution across Sydney.
“Ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors, and generally highest in the afternoon and early evening, so limiting time outdoors during the heat of the day and in the evening helps people to not only keep cool but to limit their exposure to ozone pollution,” he said.
A health warning was in place across New South Wales from Tuesday, warning people to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, minimize physical activity and keep hydrated.
It’s the second heatwave in less than a month to hit Australia. Just over two weeks ago, a brutal post-Christmas heatwave led to extreme or severe fire warnings across at least three states and intensified severe droughts across the country.
Fish, bat deaths and fruit cooking from the inside
The high temperatures are taking an increasing toll on the country’s flora and fauna. In the Murray-Darling River Basin across the southeast, more than a million dead fish have been washed up on the banks.
But environmental activists have blamed the mass deaths on poor management of the river system by state and federal governments, alleging mass consumption of water by farmers was leaving too little for fish to survive.
“A lack of water in the Darling River and the Menindee Lakes means that authorities were unable to flush the system before millions of fish suffocated through a lack of oxygen in water,” independent New South Wales lawmaker Jeremy Buckingham said in a statement.
“This mass fish kill should be a wake up call for Australia.”
“The stone burns them, which means they burn on the inside, they become squashy and you can’t use them,” Dried Tree Fruits Australia chairman Kris Werner told ABC.
It is the second year in a row of extreme temperatures at the Grand Slam event, with some competitors collapsing or complaining of heatstroke in the 2018 event.
Climate change taking its toll
January is typically the hottest month of the Australian summer and temperatures across the board have been higher in the country in recent years.
CNN’s James Griffiths contributed reporting.
Source : Nbcnewyork