The India Meteorological Department has warned of severe hot weather conditions across large parts of India which are likely to persist for the next five days.
Over the last two days, India's western coast has been witnessing very high temperatures. Areas like Saurashtra, Kutch, Konkan, Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Gujarat and Odisha have been reeling under severe heat wave conditions.
Temperatures rose to as much as 41 degrees Celsius in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, while 38-40-degrees levels were recorded around Vidharbha, Konkan and Goa regions. Mumbai, Thane and Raigad, too, saw sweltering heat with temperatures going up to almost 40 degrees since Monday.
Maximum temperatures were above normal by 3-6 degrees Celsius in many places of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, the IMD said in its forecast note on Tuesday. No significant change in mercury levels is expected in the next two days, after which they may fall gradually.
Heat Wave to severe heat wave conditions in some parts of Saurashtra-Kutch, Konkan & West Rajasthan and heat wave conditions over West Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat region, East Rajasthan & Odisha. pic.twitter.com/elXn3eeVIr
March 15, 2022The heatwaves serve as yet another reminder that the climate crisis is not some distant possibility but an emergency right now. Scientists across the globe unanimously agree that global warming due to man-made causes are increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events across the world.
AdvertisementHeatwaves such as this not only pose significant health risks, but they also reduce economic output by affecting the number of work hours that can be put in.
India remains one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had warned of such dangers for the country. Heat extremes have increased while cold extremes have decreased, and these trends will continue over the coming decades," it had said about the Indian subcontinent.
Last year, a separate report by a team of scientists at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change had showed that if global temperature rise is not contained to 2 degrees Celsius, then heatwaves in India are likely to last 25 times longer by 2036-2065.
The IMD has warned that infants, elderly people and those with chronic diseases are vulnerable to effects of the heat wave, specifically in south Punjab, south Haryana, Rajasthan and Vidharbha. "People of these regions should avoid heat exposure, wear lightweight, light-colored, loose, cotton clothes and cover the head by use of cloth, hat or umbrella, etc," it said in a health advisory.
AdvertisementThe weather forecasting agency has advised people to avoid direct heat exposure and remain hydrated through the use of oral rehydration salts or homemade drinks like lemonade and buttermilk.
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