Climate change has had drastic effects on the nation. Indians have been hit by heatwaves. India saw an increase of 40 million in the number of people exposed to heatwaves from 2012 to 2016. This is according to a global report by 27 leading academic institutions, the United Nations and inter-governmental agencies.
Indians have been hit by heatwaves
It said that the surge in heatwaves in India is an imminent danger to health. They called for urgent action to develop and implement heat action plans.
The Lancert Climate Report on health and climate change said that average temperatures in India are projected to rise alarmingly. Between 1901 and 2007, India’s mean temperature increased by more than 0.5 degree Celsius. “While the world is bracing for an icrease of around 2 degrees Celcius over the 21st century, northern, central and western India may witness further increase averaging 2.2 to 5.5 degrees by the end of the 21st century,” it said.
Globally, the Lancert report said, vulnerability to extremes of heat has steadily risen since 1990 in every region, with 157 million more people exposed to heatwaves in 2017 as compared to year 2000.
The average person experienced an additional 1.4 days of heatwaves per year over the same period, it said. Low and middle-income countries are likely to be worst affected by climate change. That is because of their weaker health systems and poorer infrastructure. This may lead to further widening of existing health and economic inequalities.
Hit by heatwaves – Heatwaves are associated with increased rates of heat stress and heat stroke, exacerbation of heat failure and acute kidney injury from dehydration. Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
Dr K Srinath Reddy, an author of the India policy brief of the Lancer report, said identifying local heat hot spots through appropriate tackling and modelling of meteorological data is needed to takle the crises of being hit by heatwaves.
Indians are being hit by heatwaves at alarming rates. This has to be curbed.
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