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On three different days last week, global average daily temperatures were in a range they have never been before. Last Monday was the first time the global average daily temperature crossed 17 degree Celsius, making it the hottest day for the planet in recorded history. But that was just the beginning. Tuesday was even hotter, and that record was surpassed on Thursday. Scientists predict that the coming days and weeks would produce more such record-breaking events. This year is widely expected to become one of the hottest ever, if not the hottest.
Climate change is playing out exactly in the manner scientists had said it would. Only a little faster, perhaps. It is not just the heat that is getting increasingly unbearable. Excessive rains, frequent floods and drought, intense forest fires are all happening, sometimes simultaneously, at different places. There is little that governments can immediately do to prevent these. But a lot can be done to minimise their toll on human beings, at least in the case of heat waves.
Experience of the recent past has shown that relatively simple interventions can go a long way in preventing a large number of heat-wave related deaths. However, many state governments and district governments still don’t have a heat action plan in place. The fact that some areas of the country are not considered to be heat-wave prone is no reason to relax. If there is one thing certain about extreme climate events, it is their unpredictability — in timing, location and intensity. The 11 heat stroke deaths in Mumbai earlier this year is a grim reminder. So was the heat wave like condition in February this year, officially a winter month in India.
In 2015, only nine states experienced heat wave conditions. By 2020, that number had reached 23. The number of heat wave days during a year has increased from seven in 2015 to 33 in 2020. The trend is only increasing. The events in eastern UP last month, when a large number of people were hospitalised with heat-related diseases — and many died — are the kind of shocks that have the potential to repeat, if local governments are not adequately prepared.
It might seem odd to be talking about heat waves when rains have been lashing many parts of the country. July is officially one of the four months when heat waves are expected. And recent trends make it difficult to rule out heat waves in subsequent months. The current phase is, therefore, a good opportunity for the local governments to strengthen their preparedness to deal with heat emergencies.
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