Science-Wise: While Citizens And Economy Suffer Burnout, Why Is Heatwave Not a Notified Disaster in India?
2 years, 6 months ago

Science-Wise: While Citizens And Economy Suffer Burnout, Why Is Heatwave Not a Notified Disaster in India?

News 18  

With temperatures hovering above 42 degrees Celsius for several days in a row, the unusually early and brutal heatwave that hit India this summer has truly tested the endurance limits. Yet, the extreme heat that this country of 1.3 billion battles with is still to be declared a “nationally notified disaster”. The government’s Disaster Management Act, 2005, defines disaster as “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area”. Heatwave expert Anup Kumar Srivastava, a senior consultant at the National Disaster Management Authority, says the issue has been discussed by the Finance Commission in the past after recommendations by several states. Declaring heatwave as a nationally notified disaster will provide attention to the grave risks that it poses to the country as a whole, and nudge every sector to develop a heat action plan.

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History of this topic

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Heatwave hotspots that should not exist are popping up across the world

India Today  

The year 2023 has officially been recorded as the hottest year in history, with global temperatures averaging 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, surpassing the previous record set in 2016. Amid this unprecedented rise in temperatures, a new study reveals a concerning phenomenon: certain regions across the globe are experiencing extreme heat waves that exceed predictions made by climate …

Tamil Nadu Brace for Extreme Heat as State Warns of Heatwave
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu Brace for Extreme Heat as State Warns of Heatwave

The Hindu  

Tamil Nadu is bracing for heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several parts of the state. The government has declared a State-specific disaster, providing relief to people affected by heatwaves, including providing medical assistance and financial aid to those who have lost loved ones to heat-related causes. Tamil Nadu is one of the regions in India that is particularly vulnerable …

‘International Cooperation is Required to Fight Heatwaves’: Climate Scientist Indu. K. Murthy
5 months ago

‘International Cooperation is Required to Fight Heatwaves’: Climate Scientist Indu. K. Murthy

The Hindu  

Published : Jul 23, 2024 17:21 IST - 7 MINS READ State governments and the Centre were caught on the back foot as they scrambled to implement heat action plans this summer as parts of India reeled under heatwaves, which killed 58 people in New Delhi alone. Governments must support research and innovation in heat resilience technologies and strategies, given …

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves

The Hindu  

Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees C in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands but because heat is often not listed as a reason on a death certificate many …

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees Celsius in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands but because heat is often not listed as a reason on a …

Create a force in India that is first in the field of disaster management in the entire country, says Amit Shah
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Create a force in India that is first in the field of disaster management in the entire country, says Amit Shah

The Hindu  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said dangers like avalanches, landslides, floods, and storms are going to increase everywhere in the future due to climate change. The Union Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has left no stone unturned and never looked at the budget for the development of the NDRF, training and providing modern resources to the …

Tamil Nadu to declare heat waves as state-specific disaster soon
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu to declare heat waves as state-specific disaster soon

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran on Monday announced that heat wave would be declared as a state-specific disaster soon to enable the state government to take preventive steps for the condition as per the rules of the State Disaster Response Fund and offer relief assistance to those who get affected. The state has taken steps to help the people cope …

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months
6 months ago

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — A monthslong heat wave across swathes of India has killed more than 100 people and led to over 40,000 suspected cases of heat stroke in the past three and a half months, according to data from India’s Health Ministry. People rest under a stationary train coach on a hot summer day in Mumbai, India Climate experts also …

Heatwave: Health Ministry Issues Advisory, Asks States & UTs To Submit Data On Heatstroke, Deaths Daily
6 months ago

Heatwave: Health Ministry Issues Advisory, Asks States & UTs To Submit Data On Heatstroke, Deaths Daily

ABP News  

As severe heatwave conditions have grappled several parts of the country, the Ministry of Health issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories to submit data on heatstroke cases and deaths, on daily basis. The health ministry has also directed the states and UTs to submit data regarding the total deaths from March 1, this year, and also make …

States told to take steps to tackle heatwave, wildfires
6 months, 2 weeks ago

States told to take steps to tackle heatwave, wildfires

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The Central government on Thursday directed state governments to ramp up preparedness to deal with heatwaves and forest fires. Chairing a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to review preparedness, Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba urged chief secretaries to monitor measures to deal with heat waves. While North and central India has been under the grip of …

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up
6 months, 2 weeks ago

India’s deadly heat kills over 200 people, including dozens of poll workers as elections wrap up

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Over 200 people, including dozens of workers on election duty, have died in the last …

At least 18 dead as scorching 50C heatwave batters India
6 months, 3 weeks ago

At least 18 dead as scorching 50C heatwave batters India

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At least 18 people have died from heatstroke as India continues to reel from the …

Sunstroke Kills 54 As India Reels From Heatwave, Rajasthan Court Urges Centre To Declare Emergency
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Sunstroke Kills 54 As India Reels From Heatwave, Rajasthan Court Urges Centre To Declare Emergency

News 18  

At least 54 people have lost their lives so far due to the continued heatwave conditions in several parts of the country, especially the northern region. Based on this, in most of these states, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand in all these states we have given an Orange alert for heat waves has …

There's a need to declare heatwave as 'national calamity': Rajasthan High Court
6 months, 3 weeks ago

There's a need to declare heatwave as 'national calamity': Rajasthan High Court

Hindustan Times  

The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of deaths that occurred due to scorching heat and prevailing heatwave in the state and said there was a need to declare heatwaves and cold waves "national calamities." A vendor sells ice on a hot summer day, in Jaipur Delhi courts allow lawyers to discard heavy black robes amid searing …

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India may have recorded its hottest temperatures ever as Delhi faces extreme heatwave

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Heatwaves are clearly the single largest threat to India’s well being today.” Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends These …

Getting ready for heatwaves
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Getting ready for heatwaves

Hindustan Times  

A crushing heatwave that began more than a week ago has become unbearable since Monday. In Delhi, power consumption surpassed records and desperate families mobbed water tankers after their taps ran dry. A 40-year-old labourer who lived in a room with no air cooling died at a hospital during the week and the administration imposed fines on wasteful use of …

Heatwave News Highlights: ‘Red alert’ in Delhi, Haryana, UP
7 months ago

Heatwave News Highlights: ‘Red alert’ in Delhi, Haryana, UP

Hindustan Times  

A man takes shelter under an umbrella from the scorching sun on a hot summer afternoon in New Delhi on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing heatwave. Heatwave News Highlights: The India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘red alert’ warning for multiple states in north India due to the ongoing heatwave conditions and soaring temperatures in the area. IMD has …

India among worst hit by extreme heat, floods, glacier disaster in 2023: WMO
8 months ago

India among worst hit by extreme heat, floods, glacier disaster in 2023: WMO

Hindustan Times  

Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, the World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday while highlighting that extreme heat, severe floods, a glacial lake outburst flood devastated parts of India also last year. In India, Yemen, and Pakistan, floods were the natural hazard event which caused the greatest number of fatalities, highlighting …

Don't panic over disaster warning, today
1 year, 2 months ago

Don't panic over disaster warning, today

Deccan Chronicle  

If a serious disaster warning message lands on your mobile phone on Friday, do not panic and react to it - but only this Friday. As part of a trial run for implementing a high-tech ‘mobile broadcast warning’ system in the State to alert and evacuate the public during times of natural and other disasters, the State Disaster Management Authority …

Asia-Pacific needs disaster warning systems to counter rising climate change risks, report says
1 year, 4 months ago

Asia-Pacific needs disaster warning systems to counter rising climate change risks, report says

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to drastically increase their investments in disaster warning systems and other tools to counter rising risks from climate change, a United Nations report said Tuesday. She noted that countries that have put early warning systems in place, such as India and Bangladesh, which faces severe threats from devastating tropical storms, can save …

India needs to address its inadequacies with respect to disaster preparedness
1 year, 5 months ago

India needs to address its inadequacies with respect to disaster preparedness

The Hindu  

Published : Jul 21, 2023 13:30 IST - 5 MINS READ An estimated 72 per cent of districts in India are exposed to extreme flood events but only 25 per cent of them have level flood forecasting stations, or early warning systems, a new report said on July 13. Approximately 66 per cent of individuals in India are exposed to …

In rural India, summer's heat can be deadly. Ambulance crews see the toll up close
1 year, 5 months ago

In rural India, summer's heat can be deadly. Ambulance crews see the toll up close

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Siren blaring, Sunil Kumar Naik's …

Heatwave Alert: Mansukh Mandaviya calls for robust action plan
1 year, 6 months ago

Heatwave Alert: Mansukh Mandaviya calls for robust action plan

Live Mint  

Following the alarming report of 76 suspected heatwave deaths in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a crucial meeting on Wednesday with health and disaster response ministers from seven states. Mandaviya stressed the urgent need for these states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, to develop comprehensive action plans aimed at …

Share data on heatwave-linked hospitalisations and deaths, Centre tells States
1 year, 6 months ago

Share data on heatwave-linked hospitalisations and deaths, Centre tells States

The Hindu  

The Health Ministry, on Wednesday, held another round of meeting – the second in two days – with officials of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, which are in the grip of severe heat wave conditions. The Centre highlighted the lack of accurate information from the ground and urged the States to share field-level data on …

‘Hard to be homeless in this heat’: India’s brutal summer is here
1 year, 7 months ago

‘Hard to be homeless in this heat’: India’s brutal summer is here

Al Jazeera  

New Delhi, India- India has started experiencing what could be another extremely hot summer, similar to last year when the country saw a devastating heatwave that led to widespread human suffering and affected workplaces, informal workers, landless labourers, marginalised communities, agriculture, and the overall economy. From wheat to peas to ground nuts, the crop died standing in the fields, burnt …

India will get its own index to quantify heat impact next year: IMD chief
1 year, 7 months ago

India will get its own index to quantify heat impact next year: IMD chief

The Hindu  

India will launch its own composite index next year to quantify the impact of heat on its population and generate impact-based heat wave alerts for specific locations, the India Meteorological Department has said. The IMD began issuing an experimental heat index for different parts of the country last week, taking into account air temperature and relative humidity to determine how …

Heatwaves are preventing India from achieving development goals: Study
1 year, 7 months ago

Heatwaves are preventing India from achieving development goals: Study

Live Mint  

Heatwaves in India are not only affecting the health of the people but also impacting the economic and developmental goals of the country. A new study has revealed the impact of scorching heat on India's agriculture, economy, and public health. The study informs that India is currently “facing a collision of multiple, cumulative climate hazards” resulting in extreme weather events …

DC Edit | Summer may see extreme heat
1 year, 8 months ago

DC Edit | Summer may see extreme heat

Deccan Chronicle  

It’s summer and along with the season heatwaves are inevitable, particularly in El Nino years. It is also a freakish timing of the poll cycles that sees most general elections being held in the peak of summer, as they would probably be in 2024 as well, thus increasing the risk of exposure of people to the hazards of increasing wet …

Heatwaves in India becoming more serious; 90% of the country, Delhi in 'danger zone', says study
1 year, 8 months ago

Heatwaves in India becoming more serious; 90% of the country, Delhi in 'danger zone', says study

Firstpost  

New Delhi: According to a recent study, heatwaves are growing more common and severe in India as a result of climate change, with over 90 per cent of the nation being in the “extremely cautious” or “danger zone” of their effects. To assess India’s climate vulnerability and the potential impact of climate change on SDG progress, researchers at the University …

Weather update: 90 per cent of India, entire Delhi in danger zone of 'heatwave' impacts | KNOW DETAILS
1 year, 8 months ago

Weather update: 90 per cent of India, entire Delhi in danger zone of 'heatwave' impacts | KNOW DETAILS

India TV News  

Heatwave in India : Heatwaves in India are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, with over 90 per cent of the country in the extremely cautious or danger zone of their impacts, according to a new study. It suggested that heatwaves have impeded India's progress towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals more significantly than previously …

90 percent of India, entire Delhi in 'danger zone' of heatwave impacts: Study
1 year, 8 months ago

90 percent of India, entire Delhi in 'danger zone' of heatwave impacts: Study

Hindustan Times  

Heatwaves in India are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, with over 90 percent of the country in the "extremely cautious" or "danger zone" of their impacts, according to a new study. It suggested that heatwaves have impeded India's progress towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals more significantly than previously thought, and that the current …

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study
1 year, 8 months ago

90% of India vulnerable to heatwave impact, says study

The Hindu  

Nearly 90% of India is in a “danger zone” from heatwave impact and almost all of Delhi is at the risk of severe heatwave impacts, which is not reflected in its recent state action plan for climate change, says a study published on April 19 in the peer-reviewed PLOS Climate. The study, by Ramit Debnath at the University of Cambridge, …

India’s heat is underestimated, harming progress, study says
1 year, 8 months ago

India’s heat is underestimated, harming progress, study says

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — The full extent of the damage from India’s sizzling heat that’s causing more deaths, illnesses, school shutdowns and crop failures is underestimated by lawmakers and officials in the country and slowing the nation’s development, a study Wednesday said. Extreme heat is placing 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population in danger but assessments of how vulnerable the country …

Tragic unpreparedness: on the Maharashtra heatwave incident
1 year, 8 months ago

Tragic unpreparedness: on the Maharashtra heatwave incident

The Hindu  

The state of the ongoing global climate crisis is such that India is going to have hotter hot days and more of them every year. On April 16, nearly a million people gathered on an uncovered ground in Navi Mumbai for an event in which social activist Dattatreya Narayan received a State award, with Union Ministers Amit Shah and Kapil …

India’s heat action plans exclude the most vulnerable: Report
1 year, 8 months ago

India’s heat action plans exclude the most vulnerable: Report

Al Jazeera  

New Delhi-based think tank points out a lack of funding and preparation after analysing 37 regional and federal plans. Analysing 37 regional and federal heat action plans, the Centre for Policy Research found this week that the plans are not updated regularly, do not have separate budgets in most cases, have no legal support to implement them, and that the …

India’s warm weather plans can’t take the heat, report says
1 year, 8 months ago

India’s warm weather plans can’t take the heat, report says

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — With temperatures set to soar next month, Indian authorities need more resources and better preparation to deal with searing heat particularly for the most vulnerable communities around the country, a New Delhi-based think tank said. Analyzing 37 regional and federal heat action plans, the Centre for Policy Research found this week that the plans are not updated …

Climate finance scarce; early warning systems key to saving lives, livelihoods: Bhupender Yadav at COP27
2 years, 1 month ago

Climate finance scarce; early warning systems key to saving lives, livelihoods: Bhupender Yadav at COP27

The Hindu  

With climate finance still scarce, climate adaptation in the form of early warning dissemination is key to safeguarding lives and livelihoods from cascading natural hazards causing substantial losses around the world, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said at the U.N. Speaking at the U.N. Secretary General High Level Round Table to launch the "Early Warnings for All Executive Action Plan", …

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns
2 years, 2 months ago

Future heatwaves will lead to large ‘loss of life’, report warns

Al Jazeera  

Publication by the UN, Red Cross says 38 heatwaves accounted for the deaths of more than 70,000 people worldwide from 2010 to 2019. The effects of recurrent heatwaves would include “large scale suffering and loss of life”, population movements and increased inequality, the report warned, adding that these trends were “already emerging”. “It’s grossly unjust that fragile countries must bear …

Heat Waves, Droughts And Floods: No More A Developing World Problem
2 years, 3 months ago

Heat Waves, Droughts And Floods: No More A Developing World Problem

News 18  

Last month, temperature levels crossed 40 degrees in Great Britain. Backing out from Shared responsibility It is only in recent times that the global north has started to see such direct and massive impacts of climate change. Effects of Climate Change Almost the entire globe has been seeing an increase in hotter days and heat waves. Although India has not …

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades
2 years, 3 months ago

New Study Warns of Dangerously High Heat Levels in India as Global Emissions Rise in Coming Decades

News 18  

Many people living in tropical regions like India are likely to be exposed to “dangerously high” heat levels during most days of each typical year in the coming decades, warn scientists in their latest study on impact of climate change. “In the tropics and subtropics, where the dangerous Heat Index threshold was typically exceeded on less than 15% of the …

India’s climate imperative
2 years, 5 months ago

India’s climate imperative

The Hindu  

In the absence of COVID-19, climate change-induced disasters would have been India’s biggest red alert in recent years. The heatwave that scorched Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and New Delhi this year; torrential downpours in south India in 2021; and the super cyclone Amphan that battered West Bengal and Odisha in 2020 are symbols of man-made climate change. Labour losses from …

Monsoon alert
2 years, 6 months ago

Monsoon alert

The Hindu  

Come June, the headquarters of the Idukki district administration turns into a hive of activity. With yet another southwest monsoon making its annual date with the State, officials such as Ms. George are spending long hours working on disaster preparedness programmes to deal with the vagaries of nature. “We are all geared up for the monsoon season and have put …

The threat of extreme weather to health, productivity and livelihoods of outdoor
2 years, 6 months ago

The threat of extreme weather to health, productivity and livelihoods of outdoor

Live Mint  

GUWAHATI/NEW DELHI : Vimal Sahu had seen enough Delhi summers to tell that it was not just another hot May day. Too hot to work For outdoor workers in India’s hottest regions, rising extreme heat will make work increasingly difficult, several studies have warned, shaving off billion hours of labour and productivity. A McKinsey report of 2020 estimates that heat-exposed …

Patralekha Chatterjee | Climate crisis to be India’s biggest threat this century
2 years, 7 months ago

Patralekha Chatterjee | Climate crisis to be India’s biggest threat this century

Deccan Chronicle  

In the age of climate change, seemingly disparate phenomena are actually deeply connected. Not every extreme weather event can be definitively linked to climate change, but scientists say climate change is leading to more frequent and more erratic and extreme weather — rising number of heatwaves, cyclones, droughts, unseasonal and heavy rainfall, lightning strikes, landslides, rise in sea level and …

Heat waves: The silent epidemic
2 years, 7 months ago

Heat waves: The silent epidemic

Hindustan Times  

As we get out of Covid pandemic, people are weary of further waves of it. Non-exertional heat stroke is generally seen presenting in old, morbid person coming to emergency department during heat wave with heart, circulatory, respiratory or kidney failure. Such mortality due to heat wave can be easily captured if the cities and districts count all-cause mortality on daily …

How India’s heatwave is only set to get worse
2 years, 7 months ago

How India’s heatwave is only set to get worse

The Independent  

Naresh Ahirwar doesn’t stop working when the midday sun beats down on his construction site on the outskirts of Delhi, amid the sustained heatwave conditions that have afflicted northern India for well over a month. “Our heat action plans must ensure adaptation measures like public cooling areas, ensuring uninterrupted electricity, access to safe drinking water, and changing the work hours …

Indian PM Modi urges states to prepare heat action plans as country swelters
2 years, 7 months ago

Indian PM Modi urges states to prepare heat action plans as country swelters

The Independent  

Narendra Modi has urged states to work on an action plan to combat the worsening heatwave situation in India, with temperatures in the past two months having broken all records. According to Indian media reports, he advised states and union territories to prepare heat action plans at state, city and district levels. This year, however, India has been reeling under …

Climate change experts say India's heatwave offers the world a terrifying glimpse into the future
2 years, 7 months ago

Climate change experts say India's heatwave offers the world a terrifying glimpse into the future

ABC  

Every year, more than a billion people sweat their way through India and Pakistan's dreaded heatwaves, which usually begin in late May. "There is overwhelming evidence in the scientific community that climate change is playing a role in causing temperature extremes to be more frequent, more intense and more elongated," Professor Mondal said. Power grid overloaded amid sweltering heat The …

Offsetting the heat challenge
2 years, 7 months ago

Offsetting the heat challenge

Hindustan Times  

In yet another reminder of the expanding and deepening footprint of the climate crisis, India is facing a nationwide surge in heatwaves. In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that India would be facing increasing heatwaves and droughts due to the climate crisis. Another report released in October, said that heatwaves in India are likely to “last 25 …

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