Heat Is On!

India has been reeling under a bout of unsparing heatwave that has claimed dozens of lives, especially in the eastern states of Orissa and Bihar, while extremely high temperatures have shattered previous records at several places across the country. The heat related deaths in Orissa have brought back memories of the unprecedented sunstroke casualties of 1998 when 2042 people had died in the coastal state.

Delhi and the national capital region have recently recorded a crazily high temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius. This has been called into question by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) though experts claim that such high temperature is entirely possible as the city has already reached unbearable temperatures varying from 45.2°C to 49.1°C. This is pushing the limits of what humans can endure. Severe heat has lasting detrimental effects, exacerbating nearly every chronic health issue that come with prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

At the same time, forest fires have been leading to a loss of precious green cover, while depleting water reservoirs have set alarm bells ringing. According to recent data from the Central Water Commission, water level at 150 major reservoirs of the country has dropped to 23 per cent. On top of this were the weeks-long general election and associated grueling campaigning. All these things have made life unbearable for a vast majority of the population. Taking note of the recent temperature surge, the Delhi High Court has observed that the national capital risks transforming into a barren desert if the young generation maintains a lack of concern towards deforestation. "Judicial notice is taken of the fact that as recent as on May 30, the official temperature recorded in Delhi was 52.3 degrees Celsius. It is not far to see the day when this city may be only a barren desert, in case the present generation continues an apathetic view on deforestation," the Court observed.

Likewise, the Rajasthan High Court, taking suo motu cognisance of deaths that occurred due to scorching heat and prevailing heatwave in the state, said that there was a need to declare heatwaves as 'national calamities'.

What the courts are observing now, climate scientists have been predicting for a long while. The increased speed of warming indicates that drastic climate change is happening right now, in front of our eyes. This necessitates a much more urgent and intensified effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and also manage the human-induced global warming.

According to a study published in The Lancet, India experienced a 55 per cent increase in fatalities caused by extreme heat between 2000- 2004 and 2017-2021. The study also highlighted that exposure to heat led to a loss of 167.2 billion potential work hours among the Indian population in 2021. Although heatwaves have been a common occurrence in various regions of India during the summer season lately, experts warn that they are now lasting longer, growing in intensity, and occurring more frequently.

Fortunately, it is expected that India's current heatwave will subside in the coming days with the monsoon gradually covering the entire country. This will make us all forget the harrowing experiences of this current summer and also erase all memories about the 99 deaths (till today) due to heat that everyone suffered in Rourkela and other parts of the state this past week. However, it is going to be the same old story next year, unless we act immediately to curb this man-made crisis.

@drjknanda