India is reeling from a fresh heatwave that began on 7 May. It follows weeks of extreme heat throughout much of the north of the country in March and April that saw temperatures reach more than 46°C and approach 49°C in neighbouring Pakistan.
“This kind of heat is not unknown in north India during the summer before the monsoon,” says , director of the World Resources Institute’s climate programme in India. “The difference this time is that it has come earlier than expected, when agricultural operations or even schools are in full swing, so more people get exposed and may not be prepared.”
The monsoon that typically slakes the extreme heat of summer is still weeks away. On 5 May, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, urged states and federal territories to prepare new heat action plans in the face of extreme temperatures.
Advertisement
Every year, temperatures in the region soar to the mid to high 40s, usually in the months of May and June. In some parts of Pakistan, they can touch 50°C. Above 40°C, the human body is at risk of muscle cramps, swelling, exhaustion, dizziness and fainting, and heatstroke.
Hemraj, a gardener at the Shiv Nadar University campus in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, near Delhi, is used to preparing for a heatwave every summer. But “summer came early this year”, he says. Hemraj has been working since the late 1990s and seen the summers get hotter and longer over the decades.
At 2pm, close to the hottest part of the day, Hemraj is still outdoors, working. “I don’t feel the heat or the cold,” he says. “I focus on my work instead.” A few minutes later, he talks about how leaves burn in the sun and how he can feel the heat of the ground through his shoes. He drinks lots of water, keeps his head covered and takes breaks to beat the heat. “People who sit in air-conditioned rooms can’t imagine being outside in this heat, but we are used to it,” he says.
Rani, who runs an ironing service in a south Delhi residential neighbourhood, works from an open shelter made of a tarpaulin sheet and uses a traditional hot-coal iron. She is her own boss and can choose not to work on extremely hot days, but that means a day without wages. The situation is similar for Hussain, a garbage collector in Delhi who goes from house to house daily in his cycle-cart, picking up household rubbish. His contract means he only gets paid on the days that he works.
India is expected to experience hotter and longer heatwaves as a result of climate change. This will see more people having to work in dangerously hot conditions. A looking at heat stress and associated work performance predicts a productivity decline of 30 to 40 per cent across India by the end of the century. “[This poses] great challenges to the country policy makers to design the safety mechanisms and to protect people working under continuous extreme hot weather conditions,” the authors write.
At the moment, a heatwave in India is generally declared when temperatures reach a certain level above the 30-year average. For example, existing heat action plans for Indian cities are usually triggered when it becomes hotter than 40°C, says Kelkar. “However, the focus [should be] to reach the people ahead of the heatwave actually starting, and to reach people at a very local level.”
Taking action as temperatures rise isn’t enough, says Kelkar. Instead, long-term action plans are needed to prepare communities in South Asia for climate extremes, she says. This needs to start with awareness at community level, she says, and include information on recognising the early signs of heatstroke, as well as providing access to medical attention, shelters and water. In rural regions, arrangements are needed for livestock as well as people.
India must also look at the way it builds cities and infrastructure. “We’re [creating] heat islands as a result of the materials being used and the way we are building,” says Kelkar, which is at the expense of green cover and water bodies. Policies for green building design are urgently needed and must be enforced, she says. Where cooling is powered by electricity, it should come from renewable sources.
Focusing on the big picture, however, cannot be at the cost of individuals. “It doesn’t matter how hot it gets, I have to work,” says Hussain. “I’m surviving because of the kindness of individuals, not because the system or my employers help me out in this heat.”
Sign up to our free Fix the Planet newsletter to get a dose of climate optimism delivered straight to your inbox, every Thursday
