How to manage the Heat Waves in India
Dr VK Bahuguna
July 1, 2024, 07:09:02
The country is in the midst of intense heat waves causing severe hardship in the entire North, Central and Western India for last more than a month. India may have recorded the hottest ever temperature in 2024. On 29th May 2024 Delhi recorded 52.3 Degree Celsius temperature at a weather station in Mungeshpur a suburb of Delhi though later on it was proved that it was slightly on higher side. Even cooler places like Dehradun have noticed highest temperature of last 53 years this year. More than 30 crore people in India are prone to high risk due to lack of means to escape heat waves. The people are feeling severe shortage of power and water and many grids are collapsing due to overload leading to prolong outages. Several people have died due to heat waves across the country. According to official sources 150 people have died due to heat waves and around 30,000 people suffered the heat stroke during the month of March to mid June 2024. The people from Delhi and other adjoining areas are rushing in hill stations of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and other hills to escape the heat torture and in the process causing heavy traffic jams and throwing in disarray the civic amenities in several towns and cities. The water crisis in Delhi is being discussed in Supreme Court and is threatening the peace in many cities and towns as well as villages. The River width of Ganga in Varanasi had reduced by 35 % and similar reports are forthcoming of narrowing of other streams and rivers. The experts have been warning the government and the society at large about the changingweather trends of the country.
Now the question for the policy makers, professionals and administratorsis to assess the causes of such unprecedented rise in temperature and how to mop up resources to deal with it. If the mandarins in powers in centre and state do not change the way to deal with it efficiently and effectively many disasters will be ruining the stability and cohesiveness in the society. One thing all must learn is the fact that high temperatures are results of a combined effects of global warming, increasing urbanisation/concretization leading to changing weather patterns.As far as Delhi and nearby areas are concerned the dry and warm westerly winds from Rajasthan and Haryana arethe causes of the heat wave. Now these winds continue during nights and do not allow the night temperature to fall and this is further accentuated when these westerly winds lead to cloud formation in sky which prevent cooling the temperature.
To find the solution our planners and civic administrators in cities must meet the challenges of ‘urban heat island effect’. In nature trees and other vegetation in the landscape along with green roofs help in reducing the urban heat island effects by releasing the moisture through transpiration, and by shading reflect the sun radiation back in the atmosphere. Therefore, the massive dense urbanisation, buildings, roads and pavements absorb and retain the heat and hence the urban heat island effect with disastrous consequences. On the other hand the effects of heat waves in rural areas are different; there is less or minimal heat island effect but the heat effects mostly relate to health issues like severe dehydration, heat stroke, heat exhaustion and gastro-intestinal diseases exacerbated by the long power cuts and water shortage.
India is not the only country affected by heat waves. Europe is also suffering from the heat waves since April 2024. The temperature is above 30 degree Celsius in south Europe and particularly in Spain. This year in Europe the highest temperature was noticed in Zeneca and Bosnia at 33.3 degree Celsius on 14thy April 2024. The European countries architecture is such that they cannot cope up well with continuous heat waves.
The objective of this article is to stress that in India the Central and State government should jointly devise a policy to effectively deal with summer weather. The first thing to be done is to declare the temperature beyond a certain limit as natural disaster/climate emergencyand put in place a standard operating procedures to deal with it for the different cities and rural areas. In rural areas the government must ensure supply of potable water and electricity as well as a mobile dispensary to provide quick health care services. In each village lakes and ponds should be created compulsorily so that people including the farmers and cattle get water. It needs short term planning and risk assessment and early warning systems based on the India Meteorological Department forecast. One of the fundamental requirements is the need to remould the district administration by creating an integrated and holistic approach so that a climate resilient development is ensured and preparations are made in advance to deal with any emergent situation.
However, the real change in entire civic administration is essential in urban areas. The town and country planning need complete overhauling as also revisit the power centric civic bodies which are focused creating more democratic institutions at the cost of civic amenities. The building by laws should be made more nature friendly and heat resistant designs/orientation of the building, promotion of natural ventilation, greenery and shade providing material should be the norms in cities. The drainages are in shamble and must be protected so that next emergency in rainy weather does not derail the life and property. Further, country should take lesson from Mumbai experience. According to a report of World Resource Institute 2023, in Mumbai the low built up density areas experience temperature of around 28 degree Celsius compared to 34 Degree Celsius in high built up areas. The impact was felt more in the suburb of Andheri East after the construction of Metro line. In Marlo Cooperative Industrial Estate before the Metro construction during 2005 to 2010 the average temperature was 29.27 and 33.4 degree Celsius but after the Metro the average temperature rose to 38.8 degree Celsius. This is just an indication for the urban planners and managers to reorient their strategy in an era of intense climatic changes and devised foolproofplans to protect the people from such vagaries in life. Will the Urban Development Ministry set up a task national force to recommend action. (The author is former Director-General of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and Chancellor FRI University)
(Tripurainfo)