Heatwaves affecting India in 2024
Since May 2024, a severe and long heat wave has impacted India. The heat wave occurred during the Indian dry season, which typically lasts from March to July with peak temperatures in April and May. Rajasthan's Churu recorded , which was the highest temperature in India in eight years.
A temperature of 52.9°C recorded in Mungeshpur, Delhi, originally thought to be record-breaking, turned out to be roughly 3°C too high due to a faulty sensor.
Casualties.
As of 3 June, there were 219 deaths from the heat wave, and 25,000 others suffered from heatstroke. The dead included 33 workers who stationed on election duty when India was conducting the seventh and last phase of its general election. There were 147 reported deaths in the state of Odisha, and 12 more in Rajasthan.
In Rajasthan, temperatures reached in Churu, Sirsa and Phalodi, while Delhi's Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh also neared 50 °C on 28 May. There were more than twice as many heatwave days recorded in northwestern and eastern parts of the country than usual, mainly due to fewer non-monsoon thundershowers and warm winds blowing from neighbouring arid regions into India. IMD data showed that Delhi recorded its warmest night ever at a minimum temperature of 35.2 °C (95.36 °F).
Indian authorities reported over 40,000 cases of heatstroke through the country during the heat wave.
Impact.
Due to the intense heat increasing water consumption and lowering river levels, New Delhi is currently suffering from a water crisis requiring water tankers to be driven into distribution points in order to provide hydration to citizens whose taps ran dry.
The intense, prolonged increase in temperature caused many manufacturing companies to lower working hours during the month of May, contributing to a national three-month low in the rate of increase in new orders.
Due to increased usage of electricity for cooling, the All India Power Engineers Federation warned of potential blackouts and loss of power on 18 June 2024.
References.
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