IMD warns of extreme heat, issues red alert for 5 days
Image Source: The Economic Times
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, “A heatwave is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to the human body when exposed.” Heatwave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 400C or more for Plains and at least 300 C or more for Hilly regions. According to WHO, heatwaves can result in increased mortality and drastic socioeconomic impacts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for West Bengal and Odisha until the end of April. And an orange alert has been issued for sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar, and interior Karnataka. For Maharashtra and southern states, three to five days of extreme heatwaves are expected.
2024 likely to be the hottest year, breaching past records
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently stated that 2023 will be the warmest year ever recorded. Near-surface global average temperature is now 1.45 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. However, 2024 is expected to be the warmest year on record since temperature monitoring began, according to both the WMO and the IMD. By May, the IMD anticipates that temperatures will rise steadily and that severe heatwaves will occur. In the upcoming months, heatwave days are predicted to surpass average levels, especially in North and Central India.
According to Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra, director general of IMD, conditions of such extended heatwaves are not unusual. There have been extended heat waves here in 1998, 2005, and 2015. The lack of an anti-cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal is a major contributing element to these heatwaves.
Image Source: The Hindu
Effect on the Economy
A country’s climate has a direct result on its GDP. India is a significant exporter and consumer of wheat which is harvested in the months of April and May. Majority of the Indian population works in the agriculture or labour industry. A World Bank report highlights that “By 2030, lost labour due to rising heat and humidity could risk up to 4.5% of India’s GDP – approximately USD 150-250 billion.” The heatwave days are also expected to impact the farmers as it results in drying up the soil of its moisture and nutrients.
Extreme weather events like heatwaves are a direct consequence of the global climate crisis and these humanitarian disasters prey directly on the inequalities of our society. Studies show that climate has a direct link to the economy and poverty of a nation. Most of the richest nations of the world fall in the geographically colder regions while many of the countries tackling poverty and hunger fall in the heat prone areas like Africa, India and other nations of Southeast Asia. Heatwaves have brought to the surface all the injustices and disparities in our cities and put the nation’s economic development, social advancement, and environmental sustainability at jeopardy. The need of the hour is to take immediate measures to make our cities more inclusive, eco-friendly, and cooler for everyone.
