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About *** heat wave days were recorded across India in 2022, a decrease compared to the previous year. In recent years, these events were more intense in the northern regions of the country, coinciding with droughts, water shortage and an already inadequate infrastructure.

The impact of heatwaves

Illnesses and deaths are an obvious consequence of the impact of heat waves in India. With record breaking heat year after year, temperatures were recorded in the high 40s and low ** degree Celsius. For comparison, core human temperatures of ** degree Celsius are categorized as fever, requiring medical attention. In extreme cases, permanent brain damage can occur, or even death.

Precaution and mitigation

Inconsistent rains or unmitigated torrential rains, along with depleting groundwater reserves and droughts have led to severe water shortages across vast areas of the country, leading to a dependence on water tankers. These include cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, parts of Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. India’s National Disaster Management Authority aims to keep heat related deaths at single digits. Measures to achieve that include increasing public awareness and distributing free water. In parts of Rajasthan, advisory actions were followed by pouring water onto asphalt roads to prevent them from melting during summer.