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What the article is about?
- Talks about the heatwave event and concerns.
Syllabus: GS-III Disaster management
Heatwave:
- A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40° C and at least 4.5 notches above normal.
- A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4° C, according to the IMD.
- India has been in the grip of what seems like an eternity of heatwaves.
- April temperatures over north-west and central India are the highest in 122 years.
- During April 1 to 28, the average monthly maximum temperature over northwest India was 35.9° Celsius and the same over central India was 37.78° C.
Causes of heatwave:
- The proximate causes for the searing heat are an absence of rain-bearing Western Disturbances, or tropical storms that bring rain from the Mediterranean over north India.
- Cool temperatures in the central Pacific, or a La Niña, that normally aid rain in India, too have failed to bolster rainfall this year.
- Despite five Western Disturbances forming in April, none was strong enough to bring significant rain and depress temperatures.
- The IMD has forecast a ‘normal’ monsoon or 99% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm and is expected to forecast the monsoon’s arrival over Kerala later in May.
- On the surface, there is no direct bearing between the intensity of heatwaves and the arrival and performance of the monsoon.
- While individual weather events cannot be linked to greenhouse gas levels, a warming globe means increased instances of extreme rain events and extended rainless spells.
Impact of heatwaves:
- Mortality and Morbidity: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Second Part of AR6 Report flagged that heat extremes are causing human deaths and morbidity.
- Crop Damage: The fallout of these heat waves is far more complex – the concurrence of heat and drought events are causing crop production losses and tree mortality.
- Labour Productivity Loss: A higher urban population also implies heat-induced labour productivity loss, resulting in economic impacts.
- Wildfires and Droughts: The Lancet report, 2021 showed that populations of 134 countries experienced an increase in exposure to wildfires with droughts becoming more widespread than ever before.
Way Ahead:
- The official toll due to heatwaves in the last 50 years is put at over 17,000 people, according to research from the IMD.
- The heat island effect means urbanisation adds degrees to the already searing conditions; and so, heatwave deaths must be treated as a disaster that merits compensation.
- Private and public workplaces too must be better equipped to factor heatwave risk.
