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Pre-Monsoon Season 2nd Hottest Ever, Post-Monsoon Warming Faster: Study

India pre-monsoon season this year is the second hottest ever, a study by CSE says. (Representational) New Delhi: While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment. According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters. In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress – surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index). In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said. According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population. “The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range,” the CSE findings said. It further said during the heatwave in May, 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was “unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years,” and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than daily average air temperature. “Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022,” the study said. The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May, which were well below 27 degrees Celsius in March. According to CSE’s analysis on air temperature variation among Delhi’s stations, Chandni Chowk recorded the highest average air temperature on May 14, 2022 with 40.39 degrees Celsius, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 40.29 degrees Celsius, Mundka at 39.5 degrees Celsius and Paharganj at 39.1 degrees Celsius. CSE said the objective of the city analysis was to understand the combined effect of climate change induced unseasonal heatwaves. The study is based on comparative statistical analysis of temperature anomalies and observed heat-related impact in Indian cities and regions.

Monsoon Season in India Is Turning Out To Be Hotter Than The Pre-monsoon Interval This 12 months

Even because the monsoon has made its footfalls felt throughout the nation, there appears to be little respite from the searing warmth – aided by steep rises in humidity ranges — in lots of pockets. The warmth waves lashing India this summer time are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature traits which are anticipated to worsen with rising local weather change impacts. Since 2016, the summer time of 2022 has been the second hottest after the summer time of 2010. Mega cities together with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are a lot hotter than the bigger area round them on account of warmth island results brought on by floor absorption of warmth and native waste warmth generated by visitors, trade and air-con (amongst different city actions). A brand new country-wide evaluation by Centre for Science and Setting (CSE) signifies whereas excessive warmth waves within the states of the northwest — as per the classification of the India Meteorological Division (IMD) — draw most public consideration, the rise in general anomalous temperature in different areas of the nation have been largely uncared for. “This can be a very disturbing pattern as coverage preparedness to mitigate rising warmth on account of local weather change is sort of absent in India,” says CSE Government Director (Analysis and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury. “With out warmth motion plans, rising air temperature, radiating warmth from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping constructed buildings, waste warmth from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of warmth dousing forests, city greens and waterbodies will worsen public well being dangers. This requires pressing time-bound mitigation,” Roychowdhury provides. “Understanding the general temperature anomaly, excessive warmth situations, and the blended traits in warmth patterns throughout totally different areas of India has turn out to be essential to assess the emergent threat,” says CSE Senior Programme Supervisor (City Lab) Avikal Somvanshi. “At the moment, the eye is basically on the utmost day by day warmth ranges and excessive situations of warmth waves. However it’s equally essential to concentrate to the general rising temperature and humidity traits in several areas to know the gravity of the issue,” provides Somvanshi. The City Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature traits in India from January 2015 until Might 2022. The trouble has been to know the warming traits by protecting all three dimensions of warmth stress — floor air temperature, land floor temperature, and relative humidity (warmth index) — on the nationwide, regional and native ranges. The traits within the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad (one situated in every of IMD’s 4 homogenous areas) have additionally been assessed. The evaluation has studied the temperature anomaly (which refers to a departure from a reference worth or long-term common or a baseline). A constructive anomaly signifies that the noticed temperature was hotter than the baseline, whereas a adverse anomaly says the noticed temperature was cooler. It’s typically used to report month-to-month, seasonal, annual, or decadal temperature adjustments. Heatwaves are additionally anomalous temperature occasions, however of a lot shorter length and are outlined compared to an absolute temperature threshold along with departure from the conventional. The Key Findings The 2022 pre-monsoon summer time warmth traits overtake 2016 because the second hottest pre-monsoon season on document for India: The seasonal common air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer time (March, April and Might as per IMD classification) — is 1.24°C hotter than the baseline traits that relate to 1971-2000 climatology (baselines are outlined primarily based on historic timelines and will differ for various metrics; the anomaly is usually computed from the 1951-1980, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline). That is hotter than the 1.20°C anomaly famous in 2016 pre-monsoon, however decrease than the 1.45°C anomaly recorded within the 2010 pre-monsoon season. Equally, land floor temperature anomaly has been excessive this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46°C departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It should be famous that pre-monsoon seasonal traits in each land and air temperature are an identical to the annual traits, however with extra pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon interval on a mean, whereas winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up quicker: At an all-India stage, the monsoon season (June, July, August and September as per IMD classification) has been 0.3-0.4°C hotter than pre-monsoon (or summer time) – what’s extra, it’s getting hotter with time. The decadal common temperatures for pre-monsoon or summer time interval are actually 0.49°C hotter than the long run regular (1951-80 baseline). This can be a important improve, but it surely pales in entrance of the rise famous among the many decadal common temperatures for the opposite three seasons. The post-monsoon interval (October, November and December as per IMD classification) is hotter by 0.73°C. Equally, the winter (January and February as per IMD classification) has been hotter by 0.68°C, and the monsoon by 0.58°C. Excessive warmth stress and warmth waves within the northwestern states: This yr, the noticed common day by day most temperature for March and April for states and Union Territories in India’s northwest (Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand – as per IMD classification) has been virtually 4°C above the conventional (in comparison with its baseline of 1981-2010). That is virtually twice as a lot because the anomaly noticed in any respect India stage, and it holds true for even common day by day minimal, day by day imply and land floor temperatures. Temperatures turned comparatively nearer to regular throughout the month of Might. Different areas even hotter in absolute phrases: In absolute phrases, most of India exterior the northwestern elements was hotter, even when the variety of its excessive warmth wave days had been lesser. Common day by day most for northwestern states for the month of March was 30.7°C; the all India common was 33.1°C (2.4°C hotter). The typical day by day minimal temperature exhibits a fair bigger (4.9°C) distinction. The typical day by day most of northwestern states crossed the all-India common within the months of April and Might, however solely by 1-1.5°C. However the day by day minimal and common temperatures continued to be increased in different areas of India. Central India (Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha, as per IMD classification) and the southern peninsular area (Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, as per IMD classification) had increased regular temperatures in comparison with the northwest throughout the pre-monsoon or summer time season. Central India’s regular most was 2-7°C increased, whereas south peninsular India’s regular minimal was 4-10°C increased than temperatures in northwest India. You will need to give attention to each excessive warmth situations in addition to general anomalous warmth situations. The IMD standards for warmth waves says a warmth wave is said when the day by day most temperature exceeds the conventional for the season by not less than 4.5°C in not less than two sub-division stations on two consecutive days; in absolute phrases, a warmth wave is said when the temperature exceeds 45°C. The traditional temperature for the season is outlined primarily based on a selected day at a selected station and in relation to the baseline of 1981-2010 common. A lot of the heatwave situations in March have been on account of a departure from the conventional. Most deaths on account of heat-stroke reported from states exterior India’s northwestern area: Knowledge from the Nationwide Crime Information Bureau (NCRB) that additionally captures unintentional deaths together with these from climatic stress, exhibits that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 folks had reportedly died on account of warmth stroke within the states in northwest. However the southern peninsula area had reported 2,444 deaths on account of extra environmental warmth, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported just one dying for a similar interval. Most deaths have been reported amongst working age males (30-60 yr olds), normally not thought-about extremely weak to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the general public well being impacts of meteorological situations like warmth wave remains to be weak in India. Demise on account of warmth waves are on a decline as per official reviews: Warmth waves are the second most threatening pure power in India, having killed over 20,615 folks throughout 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the highest killer. There was a decline in variety of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There have been no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is but to publish the 2021 version of its annual Unintentional Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI). The years 2016 and 2017 have reported twice the variety of hazardous warmth wave occasions in comparison with 2015, however reported deaths precipitated had been lower than 1 / 4 of the 2015 toll. This yr, media reviews recommend about 90 deaths on account of warmth waves in India, however there isn’t any official verification for the quantity. It’s fairly potential that a lot of the deaths on account of warmth stress goes unreported as they might be attributed to different comorbidities or not get reported in any respect. Largely, deaths happen amongst rural, low revenue and marginalised populations. Nonetheless, these estimates should be improved to make sure that there isn’t any undercount within the knowledge reported by NCRB and IMD. No proof of any direct correlation between warmth waves and the depth or frequency of fireplace cases in India: Most cases of fireplace as recorded by NASA satellites had been reported within the 2021 pre-monsoon season at an all-India stage. Regardless of the large temperature anomaly this yr (over 3 times increased in comparison with 2021), hearth anomaly this season is simply 6 per cent of 2021 for MODIS and 32 per cent of 2021 for VIIRS (each are NASA’s satellite tv for pc techniques that document hearth cases). Additional, this evaluation relies on the product of noticed hearth counts and common Hearth Radiative Energy (FRP) of the noticed fires. This matrix offers a greater measure of complete hearth actions accounting for not simply the variety of fires, but additionally their relative energy (quantum of vitality launched). The anomaly in hearth cases relies on a 2012-2019 baseline. A lot of the pre-monsoon hearth cases in India have been reported from the forests of central India and the jap Himalaya. The northwest area, which has been the worst affected by warmth waves, isn’t a hotspot for pure fires because the area doesn’t have a lot forest cowl exterior the western Himalaya. Hearth cases reported from the area are principally farm stubble fires and these will not be typically ruled by climate occasions. The area – which constitutes about 28 per cent of India’s landmass — accounts for under 13-14 per cent of all recorded fires in India throughout the pre-monsoon season. Mega cities a lot hotter than the bigger area round them: The seasonal common of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad was 1-2°C increased than the all-India common and a pair of.5-3.8°C increased than northwest India (that’s usually the reference level in public thoughts). That is because of the city warmth island phenomenon. On account of extreme laborious and darkish surfaces, cities have a tendency to soak up the warmth coming from the solar throughout the day; a metropolis additionally generates plenty of waste warmth on account of human actions which provides to the pure warmth. This further warmth ought to dissipate after sundown, however on account of air pollution and persevering with technology of waste warmth the town fails to chill down, resulting in hotter situation in comparison with rural areas. City warmth islands with large temperature variations present in all 4 metros: The research seemed into the temperature and humidity knowledge collected by the real-time air high quality monitoring community and located large variations in temperature inside the cities. By way of absolute air temperature, Hyderabad with a 7.1°C variation had essentially the most pronounced warmth islands, whereas Kolkata with simply 1.3°C had the least pronounced ones. Delhi had a 6.2°C variation; Mumbai’s was 5.5°C. From a warmth index perspective, Mumbai leads the group with a 17.3°C variation. From the land floor temperature perspective, it’s Delhi within the lead with a 24.6°C variation. The distinction among the many cities might be defined by the environmental distinction within the nature of the warmth of their areas, in addition to the variations of their topography and land use patterns. However the truth that all 4 cities present important variations of their intra-city temperatures (in all three types) is a powerful proof of city warmth island drawback inside the cities. Warmth hotspots within the cities: Due to restricted spatial distribution of air temperature official displays, the research used land floor temperature to establish the warmth hotspots inside a metropolis. In Delhi, most floor temperature was recorded within the south-west a part of the town; Najafgarh is the fixed, with the best temperature throughout on a regular basis intervals. Badarpur and Jaitpur are the opposite neighborhoods which have fixed most temperatures above 40°C. Yamuna river and the Okhla chook sanctuary areas had the bottom temperatures. In Mumbai, most floor temperature had been recorded round Deonar dumping floor, adopted by Chhatrapati Shivaji Worldwide Airport and its surrounding areas. Minimal floor temperatures had been recorded in areas round waterbodies similar to Tulsi Lake, Vihar Lake and Powai Lake, and areas near the ocean. In Kolkata, there may be not a lot variation within the land floor temperature inside the metropolis. Nonetheless, floor temperatures had been discovered to be comparatively excessive across the metropolis middle and the Netaji Shubash Chandra Bose Worldwide Airport. The realm across the wetlands was the best. In Hyderabad, hotspot areas had been noticed within the metropolis’s south-western area, across the Rajiv Gandhi Worldwide Airport, Nadergul, Turkayamjal, Jawahar Nagar and Bollaram Industrial Space. Places close to the lakes within the metropolis had the bottom temperatures. Warmth index that accounts for each temperature and humidity exhibits Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad extra careworn than Delhi this summer time: The day by day common warmth index for Kolkata has been virtually 5°C increased than that of Delhi this summer time. Mumbai’s summer time warmth index has been 4.6°C and Hyderabad 1.1°C increased than Delhi’s. Although the seasonal common day by day most air temperature in Delhi has been 1.5-2.8°C increased than the opposite three metros, by way of warmth index Kolkata — with virtually 50°C as seasonal most warmth index — was considerably hotter. Delhi’s seasonal common day by day most warmth index was 45.6°C. Warmth index of 41-53°C is taken into account harmful, whereas 54°C and better is taken into account extraordinarily harmful. Hyderabad, although scorching, is experiencing a cooler than regular summer time this yr: The seasonal common air temperature of Hyderabad was about 1°C decrease than regular — even the warmth index was down by virtually 1.5°C. The land floor temperature has been regular as nicely. This can be a full distinction from the opposite three metros, all of which have recorded increased than regular temperatures. Delhi had essentially the most excessive anomalies among the many 4 metros. What’s the method forward? Roychowdhury says: “On this climate-constrained world, warmth stress is predicted to worsen. This calls for pressing motion to undertake direct measures to mitigate warmth throughout the area in addition to the town to scale back public well being threat and occupational publicity to warmth, include vitality consumption on account of elevated demand for cooling, stop injury to infrastructure, and guarantee general wellbeing of the plenty uncovered to excessive and excessive warmth.” She provides: “This may require strategic interventions to scale back warmth island results in cities by conserving and increasing city greens/forests and water our bodies, adopting architectural design tips for the constructed atmosphere to scale back the warmth load on constructed buildings, and containing concretisation of floor areas. On the similar time, emergency measures could be wanted to reply to the intense warmth situations throughout the warmth waves.” Additionally Learn: NASA Scientists Make ‘Astonishing’ Discovery About Asteroid Set To Make Shut Method With Earth In 2135

दिल्ली की हवा और धरातल का तापमान बेसलाइन के औसत से अधिक : सीएसई

दिल्ली का हीट इंडेक्स (जिसे मौसम का 'रीयल फ़ील' भी कहा जाता है) 30.53 डिग्री सेल्सियस था जो बेसलाइन के आंकड़े 28.89 डिग्री सेल्सियस से अधिक था। इस साल मार्च और मई के बीच दिल्ली में वायु तथा धरातल का तापमान वर्ष 1981-2010 की बेसलाइन की तुलना में काफ़ी अधिक था और हीट इंडेक्स 2010-19 की सीमा से काफी ऊपर था। ये तथ्य सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के एक अध्ययन में पाया गया है। "अर्बन हीट स्ट्रेस इन मेजर सिटीज ऑफ इंडिया: डेल्ही'' शीर्षक वाले अध्ययन में पाया गया कि इस वर्ष मार्च से मई तक (मानसून से पहले) देश की राजधानी के वायु का औसत तापमान 30.03 डिग्री सेल्सियस था जो कि 28.25 डिग्री सेल्सियस के 30 साल (1981-2010) के बेसलाइन से ज्यादा था जबकि भूमि की सतह का औसत तापमान (एलएसटी) इसकी बेसलाइन से 1.95 डिग्री सेल्सियस अधिक था। वहीं, दिल्ली का हीट इंडेक्स (जिसे मौसम का 'रीयल फील' भी कहा जाता है) 30.53 डिग्री सेल्सियस था जो बेसलाइन के आंकड़े 28.89 डिग्री सेल्सियस से अधिक था। राजधानी दिल्ली की बात करें तो बाहरी दिल्ली के नरेला, बवाना, फतेहपुर जट और दक्षिण-पूर्वी दिल्ली के बदरपुर में इस साल 14 मई को भूमि की सतह का उच्चतम तापमान 51.8 डिग्री सेल्सियस था। यह भी पाया गया कि पिछले आठ वर्षों में शहर के कुछ हिस्सों में भूमि की सतह का तापमान 53.9 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक पहुंच गया है। सीएसई के इस विश्लेषण में पूर्व-मानसून मौसम के दौरान दिल्ली के लिए गर्मी के पैटर्न में बदलाव का आकलन करते हुए, लैंड इमेजरी एंड थर्मल इंफ्रारेड सेंसर डेटा का विश्लेषण करने के लिए यूनाइटेड स्टेट्स जियोलॉजिकल सर्वे (यूएसजीएस) के EarthExplorer पोर्टल का इस्तेमाल किया। इसमें कहा गया है कि सामान्य तौर पर सबसे कम एलएसटी वाले क्षेत्र यमुना के किनारे और ओखला पक्षी अभयारण्य के पास थे। इस अध्ययन में इस साल प्री-मानसून अवधि के दौरान शहर भर में हीट इंडेक्स और हवा के तापमान में काफी अंतर पाया गया है जिससे यह पता चलता है कि आस-पड़ोस के क्षेत्र से छह डिग्री का अंतर है। राजधानी दिल्ली के चांदनी चौक में मौसमी वायु का तापमान सबसे ज्यादा दर्ज किया गया जिसका औसत तापमान 34.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस था वहीं अरबिंदो मार्ग 28.1 डिग्री सेल्सियस शहर का सबसे ठंडा स्थान था। हीट इंडेक्स के अनुसार सिरी फोर्ट में उच्चतम मौसमी औसत 38.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया, इसके बाद चांदनी चौक में 36.8 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया। शादीपुर (29.1 डिग्री सेल्सियस) और अरबिंदो मार्ग (29.6 डिग्री सेल्सियस) अलग अलग छोर पर है। इन दोनों जगहों पर सबसे कम एवरेज सीजनल हीट इंडेक्स रीडिंग दर्ज किया गया। इस अध्ययन के सह-लेखक तथा सीएसई के अर्बन लैब में सीनियर प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी ने मीडिया से बात करते हुए कहा कि, “समग्र तापमान विसंगति, अत्यधिक गर्मी की स्थिति तथा भारत के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में गर्मी के पैटर्न में मिश्रित प्रवृत्तियों को समझना अप्रत्याशित जोखिम का आकलन करने के लिए आवश्यक हो गया है। वर्तमान में, मुख्य रूप से रोजाना की अधिकतम गर्मी के स्तर और गर्मी की लहरों की चरम स्थितियों पर ध्यान दिया जाता है, लेकिन इस समस्या की गंभीरता को समझने के लिए विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में बढ़ते समग्र तापमान और आर्द्रता के रुझान पर ध्यान देना भी उतना ही महत्वपूर्ण है।” सीएसई के रिसर्च एंड एडवोकेसी की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी का कहना है कि हीट-एक्शन प्लान और गर्मी से बचने वाले जंगलों, शहरी हरियाली और जल निकायों के क्षरण को रोके बिना गर्मी के चलते स्वास्थ्य संबंधी खतरे बढ़ेंगे। वह आगे कहती हैं, "जलवायु संकट के कारण बढ़ती गर्मी को कम करने के लिए नीतिगत तैयारी भारत में लगभग नगण्य है और यह प्रवृत्ति दर्शाती है कि औद्योगिक प्रक्रियाओं और एयर कंडीशनर से कंक्रीटाइजेशन, हीट-ट्रैपिंग संरचनाओं और अपशिष्ट गर्मी को पलट कर शहर की गर्मी के दबाव के खिलाफ कार्रवाई की जाए।"

CSE finds worrying signs of heat stress

Monsoon this year has turned out to be warmer than the preceding summer, an analysis by Centre for Science and Environment has found. The Delhi-based non-profit also said summer 2022 has been the second-hottest since 2010. Heat waves lashing India are expected to worsen with the growing climate change impact. The monsoon is hotter than summer by 0.3-0.4°C on average. Meanwhile, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. The extreme heat waves in north-west areas like Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh draw maximum public attention. However, there is an urgent need to focus on the overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country, found the analysis. Megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are much hotter than the larger region around them due to heat island effects, the report finds. Surface absorption of heat and local waste heat generated by traffic, industry and air conditioning, among other urban activities, lead to the heat island effect. India Meteorological Department classifies Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as the country’s north-west region. Earlier, the summer of 2016 held the record for the hottest summer after 2010. Policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Roychowdhury said: Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners will worsen public health risks. She added that erosion of heat-dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies is adding to the heat action, urging for time-bound mitigation. The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022. “It is important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem,” said Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. There has been an almost 4°C rise in the average daily maximum temperature for March and April in India’s north-west, compared with the 1981-2010 baseline. This is almost twice as much as the anomaly observed at all-India levels. The lab found the seasonal average of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad were 1-2°C higher than the all-India average due to the urban heat island phenomenon. Roychowdhury suggests strategic interventions to reduce heat island effects in cities, along with reduction of heat load on built structures, among other measures, as the way ahead. “At the same time, emergency measures would be needed to respond to the extreme heat conditions during the heat waves,” she said. At an all-India level, the monsoon season (June, July, August and September) has been 0.3-0.4°C hotter than summer — what’s more, it is getting hotter with time. The decadal average temperatures for summer are now 0.49°C hotter than the long-term normal (1951-80 baseline). This is a significant increase, but it pales in front of the increase noted among the decadal average temperatures for the other three seasons. The post-monsoon period (October, November and December) is hotter by 0.73°C. Similarly, the winter (January and February) has been warmer by 0.68°C, and the monsoon by 0.58°C. The normal maximum for central and southern peninsular India was much higher than north-west India. Central India (Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman& Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha) was 2-7°C higher. The southern peninsular region (Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) was 4-10°C higher than temperatures in north-west India. The study also found fewer deaths due to heat waves have been reported since 2015. The southern peninsular region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat since 2015, compared to 2,137 deaths in north-western areas. However, the report also pointed out that most such deaths might have gone unreported or attributed to co-morbidities. Mostly such deaths are rural, low-income and marginalised populations. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India; winters warming up faster: CSE study

While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population "The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range," the CSE findings said It further said during the heatwave in May, 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was "unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years," and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than daily average air temperature "Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022," the study said The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May, which were well below 27 degrees Celsius in March According to CSE's analysis on air temperature variation among city's stations, Chandni Chowk recorded the highest average air temperature on May 14, 2022 with 40.39 degrees Celsius, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 40.29 degrees Celsius, Mundka at 39.5 degrees Celsius and Paharganj at 39.1 degrees Celsius CSE said the objective of the city analysis was to understand the combined effect of climate change induced unseasonal heatwaves The study is based on comparative statistical analysis of temperature anomalies and observed heat-related impact in Indian cities and regions.

Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India: CSE study

According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly on all three temperature parameters. New Delhi: While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment. According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters. In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress — surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index). In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said. According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population. “The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range,” the CSE findings said. It further said during the heatwave in May, 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was “unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years,” and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than daily average air temperature. “Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022,” the study said. The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May, which were well below 27 degrees Celsius in March. According to CSE’s analysis on air temperature variation among city’s stations, Chandni Chowk recorded the highest average air temperature on May 14, 2022 with 40.39 degrees Celsius, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 40.29 degrees Celsius, Mundka at 39.5 degrees Celsius and Paharganj at 39.1 degrees Celsius. CSE said the objective of the city analysis was to understand the combined effect of climate change induced unseasonal heatwaves. The study is based on comparative statistical analysis of temperature anomalies and observed heat-related impact in Indian cities and regions.

Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India; winters warming up faster: CSE study

While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment. According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters. In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index). In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said. According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population. The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range," the CSE findings said. "Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022," the study said. The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May, which were well below 27 degrees Celsius in March. According to CSE's analysis on air temperature variation among city's stations, Chandni Chowk recorded the highest average air temperature on May 14, 2022 with 40.39 degrees Celsius, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 40.29 degrees Celsius, Mundka at 39.5 degrees Celsius and Paharganj at 39.1 degrees Celsius. CSE said the objective of the city analysis was to understand the combined effect of climate change induced unseasonal heatwaves. The study is based on comparative statistical analysis of temperature anomalies and observed heat-related impact in Indian cities and regions.

Heat stress rising in India, heat waves second biggest killer among natural forces

Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer’s heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said “Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem”. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events. (ANI)

Heat stress rising in India, heat waves second biggest killer among natural forces

This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. "This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said "Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem". Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events. (ANI)

Delhi's air, surface temperatures above baseline avg, study finds

The highest surface temperature this year was 51.8°C on May 14 at outer Delhi’s Narela, Bawana, Fatehpur Jat and south-east Delhi’s Badarpur. Air and surface temperatures in Delhi between March and May this year were significantly higher than the 1981-2010 baseline, and the heat index was well above a more recent 2010-19 threshold, found a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The study, ‘‘Urban Heat Stress in major cities of India: Delhi” found that the Capital’s average air temperature from March to May (considered the pre-monsoon period) this year was 30.03°C, higher than the 30-year baseline (1981-2010) of 28.25°C, while the average land surface temperature was 1.95°C than its baseline. At the same time, Delhi’s heat index (also known as the ‘real feel’ of the weather) was 30.53°C, higher than the baseline figure of 28.89°C. The highest surface temperature this year was 51.8°C on May 14 at outer Delhi’s Narela, Bawana, Fatehpur Jat and south-east Delhi’s Badarpur. It also found that surface temperatures in some parts of the city hit a high of 53.9°C in the past eight years. The CSE analysis used the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) EarthExplorer portal to analyse land imagery and thermal infrared sensor data, assessing change in heat patterns for Delhi over the years during the pre-monsoon season. Shinde, Fadnavis likely to finalise power-sharing formula in Delhi today It added that, in general, the areas with the lowest LST were those along the Yamuna and near the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. The study also finds a considerable difference the heat index and air temperature across the city during the pre-monsoon period this year, finding the gap to be as wide as six degrees between neighbourhoods. Chandni Chowk recorded the highest seasonal air temperature, with an average reading of 34.2°C, Aurobindo Marg at 28.1°C was the city’s coolest spot. From a heat index perspective, Siri Fort recorded the highest seasonal average at 38.2°C, followed by Chandni Chowk at 36.8°C. Shadipur (29.1°C) and Aurobindo Marg (29.6°C) were on the other end of the spectrum, recording the lowest average seasonal heat index reading. “Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves, but it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager at the Urban Lab of CSE and also the co-author of the study. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE says without heat-action plans and the erosion of heat-dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies, health risks related to heat stress will only increase. “Policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate crisis is nearly absent in India and this trend shows the need to act against urban heat stress by reversing concretisation, heat-trapping structures and waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners,” she says.

Delhi hotter than before with more hotspots, greater variations in maximum temperatures

Delhi has become hotter than before with more heat hotspots, high variations in maximum temperatures within city areas and sudden rise of mercury up to 26 degrees Celsius in areas within a month. These findings indicate that the city may need to rethink its climate action plans to deal with the soaring heat stress, said experts. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends for Delhi, along with Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, from January 2015 to May 2022. The study revealed that while Delhi recorded a significant rise in all three temperature parameters — surface air temperature, land surface temperature and relative humidity (heat index), it also has maximum variations in temperatures in different areas. Loss in green cover, seasonal loss of vegetation and urban activities are believed to be among the reasons behind the drastic rise in the number of heat hotspots in Delhi. The study noted that after peaking of pre-monsoon temperatures in 2016 — one of the hottest summers in the city, it had been cooling down until this year. Delhi hotter than before with more hotspots, greater variations in maximum temperatures TNN | Jul 8, 2022, 04.46 AM IST Delhi hotter than before with more hotspots, greater variations in maximum temperatures NEW DELHI: Delhi has become hotter than before with more heat hotspots, high variations in maximum temperatures within city areas and sudden rise of mercury up to 26 degrees Celsius in areas within a month. These findings indicate that the city may need to rethink its climate action plans to deal with the soaring heat stress, said experts. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends for Delhi, along with Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, from January 2015 to May 2022. jk The study revealed that while Delhi recorded a significant rise in all three temperature parameters — surface air temperature, land surface temperature and relative humidity (heat index), it also has maximum variations in temperatures in different areas. Congratulations! You have successfully cast your vote Loss in green cover, seasonal loss of vegetation and urban activities are believed to be among the reasons behind the drastic rise in the number of heat hotspots in Delhi. The study noted that after peaking of pre-monsoon temperatures in 2016 — one of the hottest summers in the city, it had been cooling down until this year. “Delhi is far more drier than other cities where vegetation is more consistent and evergreen. Vegetation in Delhi also fluctuated as per season, due to weather and crop harvest. Besides, development work leads to loss in tree cover,” said Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager at CSE and lead author of the study. There is a need to have a multi-sectoral effort, not limited to planting trees and putting up symbolic solar panels. “The city needs to re-assess its plans to adapt to future heat conditions and focus on developing resilience,” Somvanshi emphasised. The report stated that air surface temperature was currently 1.77 degrees Celsius more than the 1981-2010 baseline, while the land surface temperature was 1.95 degrees Celsius more. The heat index is up by 1.64 degrees Celsius compared with the 2010-19 baseline. “Mega cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, are much hotter due to heat island effects caused by surface absorption of heat and local waste heat generated by traffic, industry and airconditioning, among other urban activities,” the report pointed out. Regarding the extent to which land surface temperature soars in short duration in Delhi, it found that between March 19 and May 14, 2022, the temperature in Narela soared by 26.5 degrees Celsius, followed by 25.3 in Bawana, 24 in Matiala, 23.9 in Mundka, 22.9 in Najafgarh, 22.8 in Burari, and 20.7 in Karawal Nagar. The study also pointed out absence of certain system like not considering humidity and heat index, or the feel temperature. “March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started rising in May, which brought relief from heatwaves. But the spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating an increased discomfort among people,” the report pointed out. But since India Meteorological Department “doesn’t account for humidity in its consideration for heatwaves, dangers of humid heat that is known to be more lethal to humans doesn’t get reported”, it added. Sir Fort and Chandni Chowk were on average were the hottest neighbourhoods. “Without urgent time-bound mitigation, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and airconditioners, and erosion of forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of CSE.

Heat stress rising in India, 2nd biggest killer among natural forces

Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. "This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said "Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem". Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events.

Pre-monsoon heat of 2022 overtakes 2016 in India: CSE

The heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that are expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts. Even as the monsoon has made its footfalls felt across the country, there seems to be little respite from the searing heat – aided by steep rises in humidity levels — in many pockets. The heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that are expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed some key findings which states 2022 pre-monsoon summer heat trends overtake 2016 as the second hottest pre-monsoon season on record for India As per the finding, the seasonal average air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer (March, April and May as per IMD classification) — is 1.24°C warmer than the baseline trends that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. “Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature trends in India from January 2015 till May 2022. The effort has been to understand the warming trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress — surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) — at the national, regional and local levels. The trends in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad (one located in each of IMD’s four homogenous regions) have also been assessed. It further revealed monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon period on an average, while winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. At an all-India level, the monsoon season (June, July, August and September as per IMD classification) has been 0.3-0.4°C hotter than pre-monsoon (or summer) – what’s more, it is getting hotter with time. Besides, this year, the observed average daily maximum temperature for March and April for states and Union territories in India’s northwest (Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand – as per IMD classification) has been almost 4°C above the normal (compared to its baseline of 1981-2010). This is almost twice as much as the anomaly observed at all India level, and it holds true for even average daily minimum, daily mean and land surface temperatures. Temperatures became relatively closer to normal during the month of May. Roychowdhury added, “In this climate-constrained world, heat stress is expected to worsen. This demands urgent action to adopt direct measures to mitigate heat across the region as well as the city to reduce public health risk and occupational exposure to heat, contain energy consumption due to increased demand for cooling, prevent damage to infrastructure, and ensure overall wellbeing of the masses exposed to high and extreme heat.” She adds: “This will require strategic interventions to reduce heat island effects in cities by conserving and expanding urban greens/forests and waterbodies, adopt architectural design guidelines for the built environment to reduce heat load on built structures, and contain concretisation of surface areas. At the same time, emergency measures would be needed to respond to the extreme heat conditions during the heat waves.”

Heatwave second biggest killer among natural forces

Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer’s heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said “Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem”. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events.

Heat stress rising in India, heat waves second biggest killer among natural forces

Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. "This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said "Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem". Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events. (ANI) (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)