Disaster Management (Heat Waves: A need for knowledge sharing amongst countries) by Rajvardhan

Model Answer

Question #1. Discuss the criteria for the declaration of heat waves. What are the causes that have led to their increased frequency and intensity? 10 marks (150 words)

Ans

Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the NorthWestern parts of India. Heat Waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given the following criteria for Heat Waves.

• Heat Wave need not be considered till maximum temperature of a station reaches atleast 40°C for Plains and atleast 30°C for Hilly regions.
• When normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 5°C to 6°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 7°C or more.
• When normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 4°C to 5°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 6°C or more.
• When actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature, heat waves should be declared. Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becomingly increasingly frequent globally due to climate change. India too is feeling the impact of climate change in terms of increased instances of heat waves which are more intense in nature with each passing year, and have a devastating impact on human health thereby increasing the number of heat wave casualties.

Causes:

1. Global Warming:

• One of the primary causes of heatwaves in India is global warming, which refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average temperature due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial activities.

2. Urbanisation:

• Rapid urbanisation and the growth of concrete jungles in cities can lead to the phenomenon known as the "urban heat island effect."
• Urban areas with high population density, buildings, and concrete surfaces absorb and retain more heat, leading to higher temperatures, particularly during heatwaves.

3. El Nino Effect:

• El Nino often increases temperatures in India, combined with the weather pattern to create record high temperatures.

4. Sparse Pre-Monsoon Season Showers:

• Less moisture in many areas, leaving large parts of India arid and dry

A study published in April by the University of Cambridge said heatwaves in India are putting “unprecedented burdens” on India’s agriculture, economy and public health systems, stalling efforts to reach its development goals and hence there is a need to to ensure that the heatwave conditions are handled in a scientific manner.

Question #2. Heat waves have become an international phenomenon. Discuss with examples. What are the international best practices followed for reduction of their impact? 15 marks (250 words)

Ans

While wildfires have broken out in parts of Canada, Greece and Spain, a remote township in China saw temperatures touching 52 degree Celsius on July 16 — shattering the previous record of 50 degree Celsius that was set in 2015. Moreover, on July 3, the average daily global temperature, for the first time ever, reached 17.01 degree Celsius and in the following days, it kept rising.

The dangerously high temperatures across the world are a stark reminder of the fact that climate change is a global phenomenon. As the planet continues to get warmer due to the excessive release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, extreme weather events, much like those unfolding right now, will become more frequent, scientists and experts believe. Meanwhile, the situation has worsened with the onset of the El Nino weather pattern, which is known to have wide-ranging effects on weather systems across regions. Here is a detailed look at how different parts of the world have been impacted because of the ongoing heat waves.

International Best Practices:

1) Public cooling centres in Canada.

2) Self shading buildings in UAE.

3) Use of water sprinklers at public places.

4) Passive cooling technology, a widely-used strategy to create naturally ventilated buildings.

Apart from these practices there is also a need to :

1. Effective implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-30 with the State playing a leading role and sharing responsibility with other stakeholders is now the need of the hour.
2. Improved early warning systems that communicate heatwave threats, recommend different preventative measures, and constrain disaster impacts.

• Disseminating public awareness through print, electronic and social media, providing heat-proof shelter facilities during summer, easing access to public drinking water, and huge afforestation in urban and rural areas would help mitigate heatwave fatalities.

With these measures, it will be possible for us to reduce the impact of heat waves.