India Grapples with Severe Heatwave as Temperature Soars to 50°C in Rajasthan

Temperatures in Rajasthan's Phalodi reached a scorching 50 degrees Celsius on Sunday, as a brutal heatwave swept through large parts of India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that this is the highest temperature recorded in the country since June 1, 2019. The extreme heat affected not only the northern plains and central regions of the country but also the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.Thousands of voters faced scorching temperatures as they stepped out to vote in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Many stood in long queues without shade for extended periods, and some polling booths lacked water, coolers, and chairs for the elderly. Some voters even fainted due to the extreme heat and hot winds in Delhi, where temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius in six locations.Official data showed that at least 17 places in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh recorded maximum temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius or above on Saturday. In Rajasthan, temperatures soared to 48.8 degrees Celsius in Barmer, 48 degrees in Jaisalmer, and 47.2 degrees in Bikaner. The state's disaster management department directed district collectors to make necessary arrangements to provide relief to people, animals, and birds from the heat.The extreme heat will continue in parts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra until May 29. A red warning has been issued for Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. The IMD said warm night conditions could further exacerbate heat-related stress in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan over the next four days.Akash Vashishtha of the Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity said that urban regions like Delhi-NCR become heat chambers due to land and surface concretisation. Immediate steps are needed to keep ground surfaces vegetated to absorb solar radiation and reduce heat reflection and radiation from land surfaces.The punishing heat in India is straining power grids and drying up water bodies. Water storage in 150 major reservoirs in India plunged to its lowest level in five years last week. Water levels in the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna river have dropped amid the sweltering heat.Severe and frequent heatwaves are further burdening low-income households with poor access to water and cooling. Experts say outdoor workers, the elderly, and children are at higher risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 1,66,000 people died as a result of heat waves between 1998 and 2017.India reported 3,812 deaths due to heat waves between 2015 and 2022. People are less productive during hot weather, and children struggle to learn. Shyamal Santra of NGO Transform Rural India said studies show that students perform worse in tests when they experience a hot school year compared to a cool school year.In the absence of adequate cold-chain infrastructure, extreme heat can cause major damage to fresh produce. Studies show India faces food losses worth USD 13 billion a year. According to a World Bank report, India could account for 34 million of the projected 80 million global job losses from heat stress-associated productivity decline by 2030.