A new report by Greenpeace India which compared the maximum recorded temperatures in April 2021 and 2022 has revealed that Hyderabad witnessed 10 heatwave days in 2022 as compared to the one heatwave day last year. A heatwave is declared when an IMD weather station records the temperature of 40°C or more for plains and at least 30°C or more for hilly regions.
As per the report, Hyderabad crossed 40°C only once in 2021, on April 3. The report found that April had more hot days this year and that the highest temperature Hyderabad has seen during April was recorded on April 30, 2022 with mercury levels touching 42°C. From April 18, 2022, Hyderabad recorded temperatures above 40°C and the maximum temperature remained between 40-42°C. The city experienced these temperatures for 10 days. The Greenpeace India report analysed data available on AccuWeather website.
"We have enough science to link such extreme weather events to climate change. Unfortunately, if we do not act now, the threat is only going to increase in frequency, duration and magnitude," said the report.
We are now living amidst a deteriorating climate crisis says Avinash Kumar Chanchal, Campaign Manager, Greenpeace India. “Apart from governments and corporations focusing on adaptation and mitigation measures required to deal with climate change, we will also require measures specific to increase adaptability of the population during extreme events like heatwaves in India. These responses need to include effective communication, efficient warning systems, special response for vulnerable populations, increase in green cover and conservation of water bodies in our cities. We need practical and urgent solutions, and we need them now,” Avinash added.
India also started experiencing the onset of summer early this year. While generally peak summer starts towards the end of April, this year, the mercury peaked in many parts of the country in the beginning of April. The IMD said at the end of April this year that it was the hottest month for north, west and central India in 122 years. Greenpeace India, in its analysis, found that plains and hilly regions were affected more by the heat than coastal areas this year. According to the Climate Impact Assessment report, India's average temperature has risen by around 0.7°C from 1901 to 2018. This rise is largely due to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Another recent Greenpeace India report revealed that the number of hottest days in a year in India has increased from 40 in the 1950s to 100 in the 2020s.
This global warming-induced phenomenon over the month of April was observed in 10 capital cities that the report analysed. Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Shimla, Bhopal, Patna, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad were the cities that were analysed. Unbearable summer heat is becoming the new normal in India as the effects of climate change become increasingly real. The report also highlights the various impacts of heatwaves on human health such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke, life-threatening complications, and worsening of pre-existing conditions. The rising temperatures have an economic cost as well, resulting in crop failures, food insecurity, loss in total working hours and more.