<\/span><\/h4>\nOn April 16,\u00a013 people attending a public function died of heat stroke\u00a0in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. While February and March saw record-setting temperatures, deaths have been reported even when the temperatures were not sky-rocketing and people were exposed to extreme humidity.<\/p>\n
Multiple Indian states in April, including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura, and Meghalaya, shut schools for days to save children from the heat wave, while states like Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand rescheduled school timings. On June 8, the day the Indian Meteorological Department announced the setting in of the southwest monsoon over the southern state of Kerala, states from Goa in western India to Uttar Pradesh in the north and Jharkhand in the east extended summer holidays in schools.<\/p>\n
Such trends of extended summer vacation or overall more holidays during the summer months in schools in India are likely to become the new norm, adding the education sector to the list of areas likely to suffer from direct impacts of climatic changes.<\/p>\n
In addition to the frustration and discomfort of working in high temperatures, heatwaves can lead to health issues and even deaths. The IMD said temperatures will fall as rain showers are expected in areas subsumed by the heatwave and will provide much-needed relief. However, it warned more scorching weather lies ahead in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/span>History of Heatwave in India<\/span><\/h4>\nWhether the official summer months of March, April, May, and June in 2023 record overall higher-than-normal temperature remains to be seen. The rise of mercury in India during different months has been leading to the shattering of many records over the past few years \u2013 all five warmest years in India on record since 1901 were in the past fifteen years \u2013 2016, 2009, 2017, 2010, and 2022. In fact, the IMD said that 11 out of the 15 warmest years were recorded between 2008 and 2022.<\/p>\n
Since 2010,\u00a0an estimated 6,500\u00a0people have died from heat-related illnesses. According to IMD, 2023 saw the warmest February since 1901, with a maximum temperature of 29.5C (85.1F).<\/p>\n
The paper published in 2021 said there were 706 heatwave incidents in the country from 1971-2019.\u00a0Heatwaves claimed more than 17,000 lives in 50 years in India, according to a paper authored by M Rajeevan along with scientists Kamaljit Ray, S S Ray, R K Giri and A P Dimri.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/span>Future Impact<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Most parts of India, including those in peninsular India and the coasts will see an increase in the duration of\u00a0heatwaves\u00a0by 12-18 days by 2060, a new report from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) released said, recommending a comprehensive response plan for heatwaves which includes cultural, institutional, technological and ecosystem-based adaptation strategies.<\/p>\n
Global models referred to by the report suggest an increase of about two heatwaves and an increase in duration of heat waves by 12-18 days over the period 2020-2064, due to global warming.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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