Getting ready for heatwaves

India must look at both short- and medium-term measures to mitigate the toll heat takes

A crushing heatwave that began more than a week ago has become unbearable since Monday. In the national Capital, the maximum broke an 80-year record with readings between 45.2°C and 49.1°C. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed that much of north India was in the grip of heatwave or severe heatwave conditions. In Delhi, power consumption surpassed records and desperate families mobbed water tankers after their taps ran dry. A 40-year-old labourer who lived in a room with no air cooling died at a hospital during the week and the administration imposed fines on wasteful use of water and said construction workers must be given paid time off during the peak daytime hours.

A woman splashes water on her face on a hot summer day amid a searing heatwave in Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) (HT_PRINT)

The scorching end to May comes after the eighth hottest April recorded in India since 1901. Scientists said an unusual, rapid switch from El Nino to La Nina conditions is likely to blame, but its effects have certainly been exacerbated by the climate crisis. In April, IMD predicted the country could record more than double the number of heatwaves than in a usual year, before a more bountiful than average monsoon takes hold. Study after study has warned that such summers will become more common. In one of the latest studies, from the Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, experts estimated human-caused climate crisis had made heatwaves 30 times more likely and 2°C hotter.

The implications of such a future span not just human health, but the economy and society at large. Millions of people will be left to the mercy of the elements, unable to afford ambient cooling equipment or the power required to run them. Many will be forced to work through gruelling days, as those in unorganised labour-intensive sectors typically are made to. Vulnerable people — children, the elderly and those with existing health conditions or are pregnant — will be at risk even when they are not exerting themselves. Farm yields will drop and water and power scarcities will worsen, inevitably leading to public anger. This summer has demonstrated that these are not mere hypotheticals. India must now look at both short-term and medium-term measures to mitigate the toll heat takes, exploring ideas such as community cooling centres and legally enforceable restrictions on heat-related activities. India cannot afford the same approach it has had till now to fighting another environmental crisis — air pollution — which has till now been a losing battle.