Impact Of Heat Waves In India | Indian History

Table of Contents

HEAT WAVES

A heat wave is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual weather in the area and relative to normal temperatures for the season.

Severe heat waves have caused catastrophic crop failures, thousands of deaths from hyperthermia, and widespread power outages due to increased use of air conditioning.

A heat wave is considered extreme weather, and a danger because heat and sunlight may overheat the human body.

BACKGROUND

How rising temperatures affect your body?

20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Normal – Heart rate normal, body comfortable.

25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Still normal – Heart rate normal, body sweats slightly.

30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Mildly comfortable – Moderate sweating keeps body cool when it evaporates from our skin, but concentration is reduced.

35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Heat cramp – Heart rate and sweating increase, body loses water and salts causing muscles to ache.

40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Heat exhaustion – Heart rate becomes rapid, the body feels tired and nauseous and sweating becomes heavier.

45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit)

State: Heat stroke – Core temperature raised, sweating stops, skin becomes dry. Fainting, organ damage and death possible.

IMPACT IN INDIA

Heat waves are likely to increase by up to 30 times by 2100; the government needs to focus on the most vulnerable population, including the poor, women, children, elderly and disabled

An increase in temperature, heightened by unchecked global warming, exposed millions of Indians to the dangers of extreme heat, the northern and central parts being the most vulnerable.

he increase in atmospheric humidity prevents perspiration, our natural defense against extreme heat, making us feel hotter than what the temperature reflects.

Night-time temperatures are projected to remain above our comfort level for periods of three to five months periods by 2020-40.

IN INDIA

In India, heat-wave caused 22,562 deaths between 1992 and 2015. Apart from the high mortality rates observed, heat wave severely impacts our well-being. Aptly called a “silent disaster,”

The global community has taken several mitigation and adaptation measures to address this issue. The Paris Agreement was a landmark treaty that paved the way for keeping the global temperature increase well below 2 °C and ideally limit it to 1.5 °C.

Any low-cost solutions to cope with the heat challenge exist and have been successfully deployed in parts of India, though not nearly at the scale needed to cope with the magnitude of the challenge ahead

MEASURES

If India wants to meet its goal of zero heat related mortality, it needs to adopt more system-driven and multi-layered approach.

This comprehensive approach would require national and state level approaches, public private partnerships, and technical innovation such as development of low cost, low (or no) energy cooling systems, low cost reflective paints, experimentation on how to reduce impact of heat on crops and livestock and the scale up of green building techniques that can regulate temperature effectively.

MEASURES

The impact of heat waves is highest on poor and marginal communities and therefore bottom-up measures are needed.

In this context, the National Disaster Management Authority has launched a proactive awareness public awareness campaign and is assisting state governments to prepare respective Heat Action Plans.

At the state level, more effort is needed in developing and implementing heat action plans particularly in most vulnerable states (Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and other parts of central-western India identified as primary hotspots in a 2017 World Bank report).

This would necessarily include a special focus on issues of gender, social inclusion, children, the elderly and disabled in managing heat risks, as these sections of the population are often the most vulnerable to heat mortality.

The execution of these plans will require investment, commitment and coordination from each sector, community group, and local, state and national government agencies.