Scorcher

Heat waves have swept 23 Indian states and union territories claiming lives and throttling livelihoods. They are breaching boundaries across the world and are also becoming more intense. What can we do to cope with it?

- Akshit Sangomla, S S Jeevan, Kundan Pandey And Avikal Somvanshi

THE CONTRAST was unmistakably extreme. As Kerala was still recovering from the once-in-a-century flood that took place last year, the state government declared its first-ever heat wave in March this year. The announcement was uncommon. Local temperatures didn’t cross 40 0 C—the mandatory parameter for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to declare a heat wave. But the discomfort was just too much for the coastal state to bear. Here, moderate and cool temperatures are the norm. Schools were closed, and when reports of heat strokes started pouring in, IMD finally took the call.

It was an ominous sign of an unusual call of nature: an impending summer like never before. And when four senior citizens from Tamil Nadu died of a heat stroke—while traveling in a train near Jhansi for pilgrimage—on June 10, everyone’s fear of an unusual heat wave gripping the country became a reality.

In the following 125-odd days, heat waves swept 23 states and Union Territories (UTS); each enduring at least one spell. Since then, there have been 86 spells of heat waves, including 14 spells of severe heat waves. Not just its severity, but what makes this year’s heat wave an unparalleled experience is that close to 90 percent of India’s land area is experiencing severe heat—from Kerala to usually cooler Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Of the 23 states/UTs, IMD has designated 15 states as part of the core heat wave zones, where heat waves usually occur. But the remaining eight states do not usually experience heat waves. That’s one reason why this year’s heat wave is different (see map “India fever” on p28).