Abnormal heatwaves are becoming a sad reality for South Asia and India in particular, due to the same old issue: climate change.
A team of reasearchers headed by Ramit Debnath from Cambridge University suggest that over 90% of India and all of Delhi fall into the "extremely cautious" or "danger zone" categorites due to the severe impact of heat waves.
The authors of the study used the climate vulnerability index (CVI) to assess the impact of the heatwave, suggesting scientists may underestimate the actual burden of climate change concerning heat.
The Indian capital, already suffering from severe air pollution, is extremely vuilnerable to the drastic hot wather. At the same time, the state, currently ruled by federally-opposition Aam Aadmi Party, misses on steps to counter extreme heat in its action plan to fight climate change.
In a shocking incident last Sunday, at least 13 people died from heat stroke in Mumbai during a Maharashtra government award function, which was one of the highest number of heat-related deaths in a single incident in the history of India.
India's SDG Under Threat Due to Heatwaves
While climate change become an increasingly pressing issue, the actual impact of heatwaves and their role in the overall issue of climate change has been underestimated by the authorities.
Hesitation to address the impact of heatwaves immediately could affect India's progress in achieving sustainable development goals (SDG), the authors of the UK study have warned.
Delhi Gov't Miss This Index to Track Heatwave Impact
In case of Delhi, scientists note that the state authorities do not take into account the heat index (HI) — an index that mesures how hot the human body feels, given both temperature and humidity.
Meanwhile, Delhi is said to be extremely vulnerable to heat-related issues due to a whole range of reasons, among which are:
slum population and overcrowded areas are concentrated in areas with a high HI;
lack of access to basic amenities like electricity;
water and sanitation issues;
non-availability of immediate healthcare and health insurance;
poor condition of housing and dirty cooking fuel.
February 2023 was the hottest February in India's history since 1901. The temperatures were kept in check only due to heavy, not typical rainfall in March.