India and Pakistan are experiencing extreme days-long heat waves with little relief – not even night temperatures cool. Thanks to the string of heat waves, these countries have sweltered under record-high temperatures throughout March and April. As summer’s heat threatens to pick up, the India Meteorological Department has assigned most of India “heat watch” status, reports the Washington Post (W.P.), while some even higher-risk areas were placed under “heat alert.” Residents of India and Pakistan are now experiencing health problems and disruptions to daily life. While their governments have responded, they are not equipped to handle climate change effects of this scale, and the response has had dangerous impacts for residents. These heat waves have highlighted the seriousness of the worsening climate emergency.
Amir AghaKouchak, a professor at University of California at Irvine, emphasized the importance of taking action. It is not merely that this year is especially hot – the planet’s temperatures are trending upwards long-term.
“Heat waves happen more frequently now and they are spread around throughout the year,” AghaKouchak wrote in an email to the W.P. “This is the new normal and most likely it will only get worse in the future unless we take serious actions.”
As these heat waves intensify, temperature records are being broken each year. One record the W.P. noted was set last month: the hottest April in Delhi in 72 years. The average high last month was 104 F (40.2 C), and on April 22nd, more than 50 locations in India experienced temperatures of 111 degrees (44 Celsius) or greater. These record temperatures have concrete effects on people in India and Pakistan. In Delhi, reported Reuters, pavement has started to melt. It’s dangerous to be outside. Streets are deserted and many schools have been forced to close, some for the rest of the year.
Intense heat also carries health risks, including cramps, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and even death. More than a billion people are at risk of heat-related impacts, Reuters reports. According to doctors in India, this public health issue is more concerning than a fourth wave of COVID.
The heat waves are also exposing an inequality between low-income rural populations and higher-income urban populations. Rural areas, largely populated by lower-income groups, are especially affected by the heat waves because they don’t have the means to cool down. “Lack of access to air conditioning, which is more common in poor and underserved communities, significantly increases the likelihood of heat stroke and heat wave-caused mortality,” AghaKouchak said.
The government has tried to help the suffering populations by focusing on power supply issues. The electricity system cannot handle the increased demand for power due to rising need for air conditioning, so the government has carried out regular power cuts, but without electricity-powered air conditioning, there are few options to cool down. Al Jazeera reported that power cuts across five states left people without electricity for hours at a time. In the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, noted Reuters, power was out for 10 to 14 hours a day.
The power cuts were well-intentioned, but nonetheless caused suffering. These governments have a responsibility to ensure their citizens’ safety in the time before the monsoon season brings rain and cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, their current plans are insufficient. These heat waves will only intensify with each passing year. The Indian and Pakistani governments must alter their plans so that residents will be safe even in the summer months going forward.
