Current Affairs 2022: Highlights of 'Expanding Heat Resilience' Report

The temperature in most of the Indian states shot past 40 degrees Celsius in the month of March this year.

The issue of Global Warming is impacting many countries, and the effect of heatwaves is also causing great distress to the people of India. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the year 2022 has been the worst in this sense. Hence various Indian cities and states have already started taking precautions to protect the people from the vulnerable effects of the scorching summer months.  

The Effect of Heat 

In March 2022, the temperature in most of the states shot past 40 degrees Celsius. It is an abnormal situation for this month. Many states in India's central and western parts have already issued a warning as the heatwave spreads like wildfire. Himachal Pradesh and Kerala are also experiencing extreme temperatures and Andhra Pradesh has issued a notice of the heatwave. Meanwhile, Odisha has also put a strict restriction on public transport during peak hours in summer so as not to cause any discomfort to the passengers.  

The Heat Resilience Report

Ahmedabad was the first Indian city to initiate a plan to resist heatwaves during the peak summer months in 2013. Based on its approach, entire India has a Heat Action Plan. It contains the following five core elements:

• Community outreach to build awareness
• The early warning system of the heatwave to protect people
• Training the health care workers to handle the patients suffering due to the heat.
• Focusing on people who are exposed to heat for their work like farmers, salespeople, construction workers, traffic police and others.
• Adaptive measures like providing drinking water, creating shade spaces, cooling centres, gardens, and similar areas.

Significant Points of the Heat Resilience Report

• The extreme hot weather in India is an important issue that affects the people who work under the sun. They are the most affected, so proper care must be taken to safeguard them.

•  The unbearable high temperature and the humidity affect the health of the people.

• In India, the heatwave is more prevalent in the west, central and north-west India.

Heat Alert Signals

Following are the heat alert signals along with their color codes

Colour Code	Alert	Warning	Impact	Action to be taken
Green	A Normal Day	The maximum temperature is normal	There is no need to be cautious	NIL
Yellow Alert	Heatwave alert	The heatwave can stay continuously for two days	The temperature is moderate. However, there must be protection for infants, the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases	It would be best if excessive exposure to heat is avoided Wear light clothes. The color must not be dark Cover your face with a cloth or use an umbrella
Orange Alert	There can be severe heat alerts during the day	The heatwave stays for a maximum of four days. However, the heatwave is not severe	There is a considerable increase in temperature, and it can cause heat illness. Protected the infants and elderly during an Orange Alert	Avoid exposure to heat Drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration, even if you are not thirsty Keep yourself hydrated by drinking homemade drinks like lemon water, buttermilk and similar beverages
Red Alert	There is extreme heat during the day	There is a severe heatwave that can continue for six days	There is a high possibility of getting heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses	It would be best if you took extreme care of the people who are vulnerable to heat. Avoid going out in the sun.

Our country is well aware of the pathetic climatic conditions during the summer months. Hence, the government is trying every possible means to combat the heatwave during summers.

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About the author

With a master's degree in environmental science, Priya Sengupta found her true calling in words and stories. A passionate writer, avid reader and a dog parent, she spends her me-time reading Bengali literature and listening to soulful music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.