Why is India facing this severe a heatwave?
Heatwave conditions are getting worse in India with each passing year. Temperatures this March broke a 122-year-old record and there is still no relief from the scorching heat.
Annoyed with the power cuts and the increasing amount of electricity bills?
Well, you are not the only one. Everyone in the country is finding it difficult to deal with the severe heatwave situation.
India is not new to heatwaves. But what’s different this year is that the heatwave conditions started very early and there is no relief in sight yet.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), temperatures broke all records this year making this March India's hottest in 122 years since 1901.
The meteorological department forecast has said that there will be a gradual rise in maximum temperatures over most parts of north-western and central India this week.
Heat wave conditions over Northwest & Central India during next 5 days and over East India during next 3 days and abate thereafter.Rain/Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning/gusty winds likely to continue over Northeast India. pic.twitter.com/Ymgi2eOU4B
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) April 28, 2022
HOW BAD IS IT THIS TIME?
The heatwaves in India this year began on March 11 and have impacted 15 Indian states, The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a think-tank, reported.
Scorching & dangerous heat on the way for India & Pakistan.Temperatures will approach April record levels. The high 40s Celsius are expected, parts of Pakistan close to 50°C.It has been hot here for a very long time now... since early March. pic.twitter.com/EuxZQR45Rc
— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) April 24, 2022
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have suffered the most, with 25 heatwaves and severe heat wave days each during this period.
Surprisingly, after Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the mountain state of Himachal Pradesh has been the most affected with 21 heatwaves and severe heat wave days, reported the CSE.
IT MAY GET WORSE
The IMD on Wednesday predicted heatwave conditions in large parts of the country for at least the next five days. A 'yellow alert' has also been sounded for Delhi, reported ANI.
Eastern states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha are expected to be reeling under severe heat in the next few days, reported the Weather Channel quoting the IMD.
The states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are all set to see a comeback of heatwave conditions from April 28 until the end of the month, reported the Skymet Weather.
BTW, WHAT IS HEATWAVE?
Heatwave is considered if the maximum temperature of a place reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more for plains and at least 30 degrees Celsius or more for hilly regions. For coastal regions, heatwaves may be described when the maximum temperature is 4.50 degrees or more from normal, provided the maximum temperature is 37 degrees Celsius or more.
#India and #Pakistan have been gripped by record heat since March and it's about to get a whole lot worse.100s of millions will experience 38C (100F) heat for the next week and likely much longer. National record highs will be threatened as temperatures soar to near 50C (122F). pic.twitter.com/2khjUXtg8c
— US StormWatch (@US_Stormwatch) April 26, 2022
EARLY AND SEVERE HEATWAVES
D Sivananda Pai of the Institute for Climate Change Studies in Kottayam said that anticyclones over western parts of Rajasthan in March and the absence of rain-bearing western disturbances had triggered the early and extreme heatwaves, reported the CSE.
Anticyclones cause hot and dry weather by sinking winds around high pressure systems in the atmosphere.
Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said that global warming is still the main reason behind the rise in heatwaves, reported the BBC. "That's the root cause for the increase in heatwaves," he said.
According to a Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, human activities have warmed the planet at a rate never seen before. Earth’s global surface temperature has warmed by 1.09 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900.
Heatwaves in India are likely to "last 25 times longer by 2036-2065" if carbon emissions remain high and push global temperature rise to 40 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, said the IPCC report.
FREQUENCY OF HEATWAVES RISING
The number of heatwave days in India are increasing at a rapid pace every 10 years. From 413 in 1981-90 to 575 in 2001-10 and 600 in 2011-20, the number of days that see extremely hot days is persistently increasing at 103 weather stations, reported the World Economic Forum.
According to a report in the Business Standard, the IMD and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that in 2015, around nine states were impacted by heatwaves, while in 2020, as many as 23 states have been impacted by heatwaves, a 156 per cent jump.
IMPACT: BAD FOR PEOPLE, BAD FOR ECONOMY
The unprecedented heatwave conditions have put millions, especially those in blue-collar jobs, including construction workers, farmers, factory workers and anyone who is exposed to the heat at a risk of being hit by sunstrokes.
Heatwaves have direct impact on labor productivity. Since this extreme temperature reduces the working hours. Whether it is agriculture field or a rikshaw puller. This impacts all human labor. And in all probability these extreme events will increase.
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 27, 2022
The extreme heat conditions have disrupted the power supply throughout the country and have slowed down the economic activity, reported Reuters.
The high temperatures are also damaging India's wheat harvest, reported the CNBC. Devendra Singh Chauhan, a farmer from UP’s Etawah district, told CNBC that his wheat crop was down 60 percent compared to normal harvests.