Heatwave in India: According to a recent study, over 90% of India’s entire land area is in the “extremely cautious” or “danger zone” of experiencing heatwaves, which are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change. Ramit Debnath and colleagues at the University of Cambridge conducted a study that found Delhi to be especially susceptible to the effects of extreme heatwaves.
Effects of heatwaves on the nation
Reports said, heatwaves are hindering India’s efforts more than previously believed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, and current assessment metrics do not properly account for the effects of heatwaves on the nation. Using the nation’s climatic vulnerability index and heat index, the researchers carried out an analytical review. The heat index (HI), which considers both temperature and humidity, is a gauge of how hot it feels to the human body. The climatic vulnerability index (CVI) is a composite index that analyses the effects of heatwaves by taking into account socioeconomic, livelihood, and biophysical factors.
Decrease in outdoor working capacity
Currently “facing a collision of multiple, cumulative climate hazards,” India saw harsh weather practically daily from January to October of last year. According to the reports, intense heat could ultimately result in a 15% decrease in “outdoor working capacity,” a reduction in up to 480 million people’s quality of life, and a cost of 2.8 percent of GDP by 2050.
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Overcrowding in high HI areas
India had the warmest February since records have been kept, which was in the year 2023. Researchers cautioned that India may not make as much progress towards attaining sustainable development goals if it does not address the effects of heatwaves right away. The study identifies key factors in Delhi that will exacerbate heat-related vulnerabilities, including the concentration of slum dwellers and overcrowding in high HI areas, lack of access to basic services like electricity, water, and sanitation, lack of immediate access to healthcare and health insurance, poor housing conditions, and unclean cooking fuel (biomass, kerosene, and coal).
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