Climate Crisis: The Toll of Heat Waves on India

The summer season in India marks a period of excitement for all its citizens: holidays for

students and employees, cities teeming with flowers and the advent of the Zaid and Kharif

cropping seasons for farmers nationwide. However, in recent years, summers have grown

increasingly erratic and tumultuous due to climate change’s largest ramification, global

warming. The summer of 2024 particularly is marked by a severe heatwave, with

temperatures exceeding 45°C in most part of north-western and central India and reaching a new high in the capital New Delhi at 49.9°C in May. As defined by the India Meteorological Department, “Heat Waves are a period of unusually high temperatures as compared to what is normally expected over a region.” This condition can further be amplified by factors like humidity, wind speed, and duration. In the context of India, this is characterised as temperatures over 40°C for plains and over 30°C for hill station regions. Heat waves organically occur between March to June until the onset of monsoon rains every 10 years due to natural causes, but alarmingly, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) they will now occur every 3.6 years instead

due to human interference. Historically, the 2016 summer paralleled 2024 with heatwaves

in Bihar, Bengal, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This frequent occurrence poses a detrimental threat to tropical and subtropical nations worldwide, due to the health and economic implications. High temperatures can create physiological stress on the body leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory and renal problems. Moreover, it leads to a high mortality rate due to heatstroke. Economically, this causes lower work capacity and productivity, and problems in urban infrastructure. Most significantly, in the past few days alone, over 77 deaths took place including 33 poll officers in Uttar Pradesh and 20 people in Odisha due to the fatal effects of heat exposure. On the other hand, this also affects wildlife and stray animals leaving them vulnerable to dehydration and heat stroke. While this upsurge in temperature might seem sudden to most, climatology experts are the least surprised, having predicted heat patterns based on the El Niño Southern Oscillation system, where warm water in the Pacific Ocean is pushed east, causing jet streams and trade winds to divert from their usual path. This results in some regions being warmer and drier than usual, while others experience heavy rainfall and floods. This system caused by strong atmospheric and oceanic disturbances due to global warming, blocks monsoon sea winds from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal from reaching the subcontinent, effectively delaying the onset of rain. And with climate change now increasing due to the use of fossil fuels and release of greenhouse gases, more and more regions will or currently are experiencing erratic and extreme climates. While the only real solution to climate change is lowering our carbon footprint and opting for greener energy sources, there are precautions we can take to lower the risk of heat waves:

1) Stay indoors during the hottest time of the day, keep curtains closed and fans on.

2) Wear light coloured and breezy clothes from materials like cotton and linen that

absorb sweat fast.

3) Keep an emergency kit handy with oral rehydration solution (ORS), handheld fans

and towels. Be mindful of the nearest healthcare facility in case of an emergency.

4) Always wear sunscreen (preferably spf 30 and above) and reapply every 2-3 hours

5) Stay hydrated!!!