National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) officials have expressed concern about the decrease in aid from the international community in the fight against climate change.

At a joint conference with the presence of religious scholars in Kabul, NEPA officials said the reduction of aid will cause Afghanistan to suffer more damage.

Officials expressed concern about the reduction of international aid and said that stopping projects in this sector will make Afghanistan more vulnerable.

Abdul Salam Haqqani, finance and administration head of NEPA, said that countries have considered their own interests more in the field of climate change, but its effects on Afghanistan have been greater.

Meanwhile, participants said that scholars can inform people through mosques to protect the environment and prevent deforestation.

“If assistance is not provided, I am sure that our economic, social, cultural and even political developments will be further damaged,” said Ezatullah Sediqi, head of Reha organization.

Afghanistan is currently the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of climate change. Although it does not play a role in the production of greenhouse gases, the production of these gases has caused Afghanistan to face droughts and floods.

At least nine people have died of suspected heat stroke in India’s western state of Rajasthan, media said on Friday, with temperatures expected to soar further amid predictions of a severe heat wave.

Searing heat in the country’s north has been a cause of concern during a mammoth general election, and the capital, New Delhi, is set to vote on Saturday in temperatures forecast to be around 45 degrees C (113 degrees F), Reuters reported.

India’s summer temperatures often peak in May, but scientists have predicted more heatwave days than usual this year, largely caused by fewer non-monsoon thundershowers and an active but weakening El Nino weather phenomenon.

At least nine deaths in Rajasthan were suspected to have resulted from people falling sick in the sweltering heat, local media said.

The state’s disaster management officials told Reuters they had yet to ascertain the cause, as medical examinations were not complete.

The news comes after the city of Barmer in Rajasthan topped temperature charts this week with a record 48.8 C (119.84 F) on Thursday.

Weather officials have warned of conditions ranging from a heatwave to a severe heatwave in many parts of the state, as well as in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.

Indian weather officials set the heatwave threshold at a maximum temperature of 40 C (104 F) in the country’s plains, as well as a departure of at least 4.5 C from the normal maximum temperature.

In the southern state of Kerala, by contrast, at least seven people died following pre-monsoon rains that were about 18% percent heavier than normal, bringing floods that disrupted flight schedules in some areas.

As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to hundreds of thousands after deadly storms left at least seven people dead, it will do so amid a smog warning and scorching temperatures that could pose health risks.

National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard said on Saturday that highs of around 32.2 C were expected through the start of the coming week, with heat indexes likely approaching 38 C by midweek, Associated Press reported.

“We expect the impact of the heat to gradually increase … we will start to see that heat risk increase Tuesday into Wednesday through Friday,” Chenard said.

The heat index is what the temperature feels like to the human body when humidity is combined with the air temperature, according to the weather service.

Heavy rainfall was possible in eastern Louisiana and central Alabama on Saturday, and parts of Louisiana were also at risk for flooding.

The Houston Health Department said it would distribute 400 free portable air conditioners to area seniors, people with disabilities and caregivers of disabled children to contend with the heat.

The widespread destruction of Thursday’s storms brought much of Houston to a standstill, AP reported.

Thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds tore through the city — decimating the facade of one brick building and leaving trees, debris and shattered glass on the streets. A tornado also touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress.

More than a half-million homes and businesses in Texas remained without electricity by midday Saturday, according to PowerOutage.us.

Another 21,000 customers were also without power in Louisiana, where strong winds and a suspected tornado hit.

CenterPoint Energy said power restoration could take several days or longer in some areas.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Whitmire both signed disaster declarations, paving the way for state and federal storm recovery assistance.

A separate disaster declaration from President Joe Biden makes federal funding available to people in seven Texas counties — including Harris — that have been affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding since April 26.