​High heat, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Early heat alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department for central and south India, including Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Kerala.
• Parts of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have exceeded 40°C in early April, with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka nearing that mark.
• 247 billion work-hours were lost in 2024 due to heat, impacting construction and agriculture sectors, according to The Lancet Countdown Global Report.
• Experts criticize Heat Action Plans (HAPs) for focusing on emergency response rather than structural interventions like urban re-greening.

Detailed Insights:

• The early arrival of high heat is attributed to a lack of western disturbances and thunderstorms, lower convective activity, and residual effects of the previous El Niño.
• Persistently high heat increases the risk of death from cardiovascular causes and accelerates crop maturity, threatening food security and increasing inflationary pressure.
• Heat stress poses an ongoing concern for farmers during the rabi harvest, potentially impacting agricultural output and livelihoods.
• The Election Commission of India extended polling booth hours during the 2024 general election due to heat concerns, but more proactive measures are needed.
• Heat Action Plans (HAPs) require long-term funding and should focus on structural changes and mandatory heat-safety legislation for informal sector workers.
• Public systems should implement mobile health units and doorstep delivery of essential services during peak heat to reduce barriers to access.
• Colombia has formed a coalition of about 50 countries to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, and India should consider joining for access to climate adaptation finance.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Heat Action Plan (HAP): A plan to reduce the impact of heat waves by implementing measures such as public awareness campaigns and providing access to cooling centers.
• El Niño: A climate pattern describing the unusual warming of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
• Western Disturbances: Storms originating in the Mediterranean region that bring winter rainfall to northern India.

El Nino