According to a recent research by a UN body, the capital’s frequent high-temperature heatwaves are placing half of Delhi’s inhabitants in danger and having catastrophic effects on their socioeconomic situation and public health. In Delhi and other regions of northern India, extreme heatwaves have disrupted millions of lives and livelihoods, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
On Tuesday, the paper titled “United in Science” was published. It claims that between March and May, Delhi witnessed five heatwaves, with some days hitting record highs of 49.2 degrees Celsius. A heatwave of this magnitude, according to experts, might be hazardous to the health of the most vulnerable, such as young children, the elderly, and persons with chronic illnesses. People in good health are also Five heat waves with record-breaking temperatures, up to 49.2 °C (120.5 °F), hit Delhi between March and May 2022. The WMO report, which focuses on urban climate change and extreme weather impacts around the world, stated that this heatwave had devastating socioeconomic and public health effects due to the fact that half of Delhi’s population lives in low-income settlements and is highly vulnerable to extreme heat.
Aside from the health risks, heatwaves reduce agricultural production and raise energy demand, which causes outages in numerous regions and worries about a coal shortage.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres remarked on releasing the study, “Extreme weather events including wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and extreme storms are breaking records at an alarming rate and getting worse. European heat waves Massive flooding in Pakistan. severe and protracted droughts in the US, the Horn of Africa, and China. The new magnitude of these catastrophes is not natural. They are the cost of humanity’s addiction to fossil fuels.”
This kind of early and exceptionally extended hot episodes in India are extremely rare, with a probability of happening just once every 100 years, according to the report. However, it is now