Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
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The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures."
The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens.
Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday.
To protect outdoor workers, the labour ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in various parts of the country, including several islands.
The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders.
"Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult," cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP.
"We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible," the 43-year-old said.
The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily.
Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023.
Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions.
- Risk of fire, storms -
The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula.
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Greece's fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers' union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT.
Elsewhere, Serbia's hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday.
But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia's northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas.
RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind.
Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country's regions affected.
Two people were injured and hospitalised in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said.
The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures.
On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported.
At the town's port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter.
There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia.
In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometres (85 miles) per hour locally.
Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar.
In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region.
The country's weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Cast-off capital
The Yamuna along Panipat's Khojkipur village is dry, leaving the riverbed exposed. A flock of birds – resident species of cormorants and herons – has gathered around a pool of residual water in the river on a hot June afternoon. There are also some migratory gulls. The birds, in search of food, occasionally break the silence with their croaking and keow calls. A large herd of cows and buffaloes, almost figurines from a distance, graze on the sparse greenery on the riverbed. Rajbir, a paali (cowherd) in his mid-30s, keeps an eye on the herd from under a tree on the riverbank. Like most people in India's plains, he waits for the monsoon to set in. For Rajbir though, it is not the heat that's disturbing. He is worried about his cattle frequently falling sick after they cool off in the pools of leftover Yamuna water. 'The nallah (Drain No. 2) carrying effluents from factories in Panipat city falls into the river just ahead of our village, contaminating it with hard chemicals. With the onset of the monsoon, the water flow goes up in the river, diluting these chemicals and mitigating their harmful effects,' explains Rajbir. Cattle cool off in a pond in summer, but there is none in the village, he grumbles. A gamcha is tightly wrapped around his head, one end of it held firmly in his teeth to protect his head and face from the temperature that has crossed 40 degrees Celsius. Panipat in Haryana, just 90 km from Delhi, is known for three famous battles fought on its land across two centuries, between 1526 and 1761. There is little evidence of that now. Over the past two decades, it has emerged as one of Asia's largest weaving, dyeing, and textile recycling hubs. Panipat is a processing hub for around 30 lakh tonnes of textile waste, says Sanjay Garg, Northern India Rotor Spinners Association president, comprising about 100 units. Cloth scraps come in daily from factories in the U.S., the U.K, Canada, Europe, Turkey, China, and Japan. In units here, these are processed into yarn, which is further sold in Tanda (Uttar Pradesh), Solapur (Maharashtra), and Tirupur (Tamil Nadu), for use in blankets, cushions, bed sheets, carpets, and several other products. Shoddy yarn, made from short and weak fibres, is often downcycled into low-grade products,' says Kriti Srivastava, assistant professor at NIFT Kangra. 'This isn't just inefficient recycling, it's a form of waste colonisation, where developed countries offload their textile waste onto the Global South, burdening already vulnerable nations with environmental and economic costs.' A part of this process is bleaching cloth scraps. Several illegal bleaching units function on Panipat's periphery, devoid of any mechanism for the safe disposal of the chemical-laden waste water, mostly acidic and chlorine-based. They operate on agricultural land taken on lease from the farmers. 'This highly contaminated water is just allowed to seep underground, polluting the groundwater, or is drained into open land and local drains. It eventually travels to Drain 2 that merges with the Yamuna,' says Varun Gulati, a Delhi-based environmentalist. Rajbir laments that no one listens to the people here: 'Yahan par kai baar patrakar aaye hai. Photo keech kar le gaye. Video bhi banaya. Lekin kuch nahi hua.' (Journalists have come here many times. They took photographs. They made videos too. But nothing happened.) Cloth to yarn Taking a nap on his farm under a structure resembling a palapa, Krishan, who owns a couple of acres of land, says the ground water in Khojkipur and the neighbouring villages along Drain No. 2 is smelly. 'It is not fit for drinking and irrigation. Those residing in these villages suffer from various skin-related ailments and, in some cases, even cancer. We avoid installing hand pumps near this drain,' he says. Then, laughing ironically, adds, 'Imagine people in Delhi who have to drink this contaminated water.' In March 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast, spoke about the problem of textile waste. 'Several start-ups have started working on textile recovery facilities…. some cities are creating new identities in dealing with textile waste. Panipat is emerging as a global hub of textile recycling,' he had said. Garg says his father was the first to set up a spinning mill in Panipat in 1981. Two to three more mills came up in the city over the next two decades, but the boom came in the early 2000s with technological advancement. 'Only 10-15 tonnes of scrap could be processed daily at these units earlier. But high-speed spinning mills equipped with the latest technology process around 100-125 tonnes of scrap daily,' he says, in his expansive office, adding that almost 90% of the imported scraps end up in Panipat. Garg owns Akshay Spinning Mills on the busy arterial Gohana-Panipat road. There are more than 250 such mills owned by around a hundred industrialists, scattered across the city. On the outskirts of Panipat, scores of illegally run bleaching units have mushroomed to cater to the growing need to bleach the cloth scraps before they are shredded and made into yarn. A few of the larger spinning mills have their own bleaching processes, adhering to the norms laid down by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). These include checking the units for effluents that are safe to be discharged into the Yamuna. Garg maintains that the spinning mills are 'non-polluting units' that give 'a fresh lease of life to the garbage collected from across the globe', but downplays the role of illegally run bleach units. 'Only a fraction of the cloth scraps imported need to undergo bleaching,' claims the second-generation industrialist, insisting that the mills do not outsource production to illegal bleaching units. Bleach-washed In a complaint to the Central Pollution Control Board in January this year, Gulati said illegal bleaching units were running in several villages across Panipat: Naulya, Dahar, Binjhaul, Balana, Paldi, Kaurad, Didwadi, Mandi, Gwalda, Pardhana, Chamrada, and Nara. 'Chemicals containing acid and chlorine are added to the water to wash scraps and this poisonous water is later released into the ground by digging pits or into storm water drains,' he said in his complaint. Warning of a catastrophe of epic proportions like the Bhopal gas disaster, the letter mentioned around two dozen illegal units along with their addresses. It said that the owners of these bleaching units, emboldened by the inaction of the HSPCB, had now set up illegal plants to make acid and bleach chemicals using toxic chlorine gas. This, in case of leakage, could cause a major accident. Running a bleaching unit in Dadwari village, a 38-year-old man, not willing to be identified, says he has set up an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to adhere to the HSPCB norms, but the 'plant is not functional; it is not run'. A fully running ETP could cost several lakhs, he says. It has been set up just to get the permission to run a bleaching unit. 'Water is reused a couple of times to bleach, and finally discharged into the drain,' he says. The man says that he has constructed tanks on his agricultural land and rented them out to a spinning mill owner. 'I only provide the land and the bleach powder, which I make using chlorine gas. The mill owners' contractors hire the labour for the bleach job,' he says. Yamuna Bachao Abhiyan convener Shiv Singh Rawat says that scores of dyeing and bleaching units in Panipat functioning without clearances and treatment infrastructure discharge acidic, chlorine-laced waste water into the river. 'The discharge either flows through sewer lines or is dumped via tankers into open land. Ultimately it ends up in the Yamuna through Drain No. 2. The visual discolouration of the water at the point of merger of Drain No. 2 and the Yamuna is a stark indicator of the contamination,' he says. Multiple water sample reports of Drain No. 2 by the HSPCB Laboratory in April this year confirm that several parameters were much higher than the permissible levels fixed by the Central Pollution Control Board. For instance, Biological Oxygen Demand was at 68 mg/l, with the maximum level set at 30 mg/l; Chemical Oxygen Demand was at 284 mg/l, while it should have been no more than 50 mg/l; and Total Dissolved Solids were at 1,858 mg/l, with the cut-off at 500 mg/l. Rishi Kumar, another bleaching unit owner in Didwari, says there could be 400-odd units in Panipat, and only one-fourth were running with permission. 'The recycle market has been sluggish after it reached its peak in 2023. The profit in the bleaching business is around 10-20 paisa per kg of scrap. But running a unit as per the norms increases the cost by ₹1 per kg. So, it is not financially viable,' says Kumar, who runs his unit with due permission from the HSPCB. He says he has 50 tanks on his 5-acre agricultural land, but only half of them are occupied, as the demand is weak. 'I have my own labour force staying inside the unit. We work both ways. We buy cloth scraps from traders, bleach them, and sell them to the spinning mills. The mill owners also send us scraps to bleach,' says Kumar. Following media reports, the National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of the illegal bleaching units and issued notices to the HSPCB and Panipat Deputy Commissioner, among others, directing them to file an affidavit a week before the hearing on August 29. HSPCB Regional Officer, Panipat, Bhupinder Singh Chahal says the department has ordered closure of 20 units and sent show-cause notices to a dozen more a month ago. Chahal, however, says the department does not have the figure for the illegal units. Dip in demand Two types of cloth waste are imported: cloth scraps and second-hand clothes. The majority of godowns on Barsat Road, where they are concentrated, deal in scraps. These are bought by spinning mills to be made into yarn. Ramjan, a worker at a warehouse on Barsat Road, says his employer imports 30 tonnes of cloth each season, mostly from Korea and China, both before the onset of summer and winter. 'The scraps are sold for ₹20 a kg. The discarded clothes are sold at ₹100-120 per piece. Mostly traders from Delhi and Assam buy these second-hand clothes and sell them in local markets at high margins,' says Ramjan. Delhi's Sarojini Nagar market is one such hub. Running a firm in the name of A.R. Traders on Barsat Road, Ravinder Garg mostly deals in scraps. 'We sell it to the spinning mill owners through agents. A small percentage of the wastage, not accepted by the spinning mills, ends up as fuel for local industry,' says Garg. He too says the market has been sluggish for the past two years, and his annual sale of scraps has fallen to almost half, at 270 tonnes per year. To boost the industry, Mukesh Gulati, executive director at the Foundation for MSME Clusters, which aims at empowering small and medium enterprises through skilling and sustainable efforts, says India should develop an eco-mark for products with recycled materials. This will strengthen India's domestic ecosystem of recyclers and sustainable textile producers. 'This will generate greater awareness, as many still wrongly perceive recycled products as inferior. Correcting this perception is key to unlocking the full potential of India's circular economy,' he says. He talks about France mandating recycled content in public sector uniforms; the Netherlands recycling railway uniforms into train interiors; and Germany's procurement law preferring recycled goods. The Nordic countries use ecolabels to support green procurement in health care and municipal services, he adds. Half-burnt bits of cloth often show up on terraces. 'The waste cloth ends up as cheap fuel in furnaces and boilers. Panipat has a thermal power plant, a petroleum refinery, sugar mills, and fertilizer factories. At dusk, Panipat's air turns toxic,' says lawyer Amit Rathee, who practises in Panipat. Edited by Sunalini Mathew
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Delhis maximum temperature at 36.8 deg C
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) Delhi on Saturday recorded a maximum temperature of 36.8 degree Celsius, two notches above the season's average, the weather office said. The minimum temperature was recorded of 27 degrees Celsius, 0.3 notch below the season's average. A generally cloudy sky with rain and thunderstorm has been forecast on Sunday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The relative humidity was recorded at 58 per cent at 5.30 pm. The IMD had said rain and thunderstorm were likely in the national capital on Saturday. Delhi's air quality was recorded in the 'satisfactory" category at 6 pm on Saturday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 172, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. PTI SSM SKY SKY Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
‘Monitoring Situation': India Urges Thailand And Cambodia To De-Escalate
Last Updated: India monitors Thailand-Cambodia border clashes, urging both nations to cease hostilities. Indian embassies advise nationals to avoid border areas and stay in touch for help. Thailand-Cambodia Clashes: India on Saturday responded to the ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia 'We are closely monitoring the situation along the border between Cambodia and Thailand. India has close and friendly relations with both countries and hopes that both sides will take measures for a cessation of hostilities and prevention of further escalation," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press statement. The MEA further urged the Indian travellers in both the countries to saty in touch with their respective embassies for any assistance. 'Embassy of India in Bangkok, Thailand- Helpline: + 66 61 881 9218 (WhatsApp calls also). Embassy of India in Phnom Penh, Cambodia- Helpline: +855 92 881 676 (WhatsApp calls also)," the press release added. Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Cambodia had issued an advisory for Indian nationals travelling to the country amid ongoing clashes with Thailand, suggesting that they avoid going to border areas. 'In view of the ongoing clashes at the Cambodia-Thailand border, Indian nationals are advised to avoid traveling to the border areas," the Embassy said. 'In case of any emergency, Indian nationals may approach the Embassy of India, Phnom Penh at +855 92881676 or email it added. Indian Embassy In Thailand Issues Advisory Earlier on Friday, Indian Embassy in Thailand advised its nationals to practice caution and avoid travelling to seven provinces in view of the situation arising out of the clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed border. In view of the situation near the Thailand-Cambodia border, all Indian travellers to Thailand are advised to check updates from Thai official sources, including TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Newsroom, the Indian embassy said in a social media post. Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Thailand and Cambodia continued their fighting for the third straight day on Saturday, as the death toll in the deadly fighting rose to 33. Phnom Penh has said that it was ready for an 'immediate ceasefire, unconditionally". A decades-long border dispute between the two countries erupted into an intense military confrontation involving jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, after which the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Friday. AFP on Friday reported Cambodia called for a ceasefire with Thailand. The report cited Chhea Keo, the country's ambassador to the United Nations. Quoting Keo in a social media post, AFP mentioned that Cambodia asked for an 'immediate unconditional ceasefire". Reportedly, Keo made the statement following a closed meeting of the Security Council attended by Cambodia and Thailand. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
