New Delhi: On Tuesday, major parts of Western and Central India flowed into a series, Burmer recorded a highlight of 46.4 ° C in Rajasthan – which is the country’s highest temperature.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), 27 seasonal stations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have reported maximum temperature 43 ° C or above, with at least 19 places witnessing severe heatwave situation in severe conditions of heatwave.
In Delhi, the conditions of the heatwave were recorded in the Safdarjing Observatory, which registered 41 ° C, and Ian Nagar, which logged 40.4 ° C.
The worst affected, Burmer saw that the temperature rises to 7.6 ° C. Other parts of Rajasthan also suffered extreme heat, which includes Jeslamer (45 ° C), Chaturgarh (44.5 ° C), Bikaner (44.4 ° C), and Sri Gangana Nagar (44.2 ° C) – all of which have all 7 to 9 degrees above the seasonal average.
In Gujarat, Surendra Nagar recorded 44.8 ° C, Rajkot 44 ° C, Amali 43.8 ° C, while Mahua and Kandla touched 43.4 ° C. Mahova saw the spike above 8.3 ° C above usual.
Maharashtra city, such as Akola (44.1 ° C), Nandor (43.5 ° C), Jalgaon (43.3 ° C), and Amravati (43 ° C), were also trained under severe heat. In Madhya Pradesh, Gun and Ratlam reported 43.4 ° C and 43.2 ° C respectively.
The IMD is predicted from the heatwave in northwestern India, which will begin April 10 and in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on April 11.
A heatwave is announced when the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 ° C in the plains, 37 ° C in coastal areas, or 30 ° C in mountainous areas, which usually deviate from 4.5 ° C to 6.4 ° C.
If departure exceeds 6.5 ° C, a severe heatwave is announced. As an alternative, the temperature of 45 ° C and above is eligible as a heatwave, while 47 ° C and above indicate a severe heatwave, regardless of the deviation from the usual.
Earlier this month, the IMD had warned about the usual temperatures from April to June, with more days of heatwave in Central and East India and northwestern plains.
The year 2024 is already on record on India and globally. This year’s heatwave conditions began extraordinarily, with the first examples notified on February 27-28. The first official heatwave of the year was announced on April 5.
Although heatwaves are common in April and May, scientists have warned that climate change is accelerating both their frequency and intensity. This poses a greater risk to the weaker population-especially external workers and low-income families who have limited access to cooling and water.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,66,000 people were killed due to a heatwave between 1998 and 2017. In India, between 2015 and 2022, 3,812 heatwave deaths were reported, only Andhra Pradesh participated in 2,419.
A 2022 study warns that India may face a tenfold increase in the risk of heatwave in this century, with more than 70 % of its land area likely to be extremely heat.
Rising temperatures stimulate the increase in demand for electricity
April – India’s electricity demand increased by 10.4 % over the same period last year during the June 2024, the main reason for the increase in the use of air conditioners. According to Amber’s World Power Review, heatwaves were responsible for the almost FIFTH fifth increase in global demand for electricity and caused a 1.4 percent increase in generating foam -based fuel.
The report states that without heat -driven demand, foam fuel production will only increase by 0.2 %, as clean energy increases global non -heat -related demand by 96 %.
In India, the overall demand for electricity between April and September 2024 was 6.1 percent higher than the same period in 2023, with about 19 percent high temperatures. From April to June alone, demand increased by 10.8 % year -on -year.
Only the air conditioning was about 30 % of the year to increase the demand for year -on -year. In May, cooling needs contributed more than one -third of the total increase.
In 2024, the total demand for India’s electricity increased by 5 %. Of the additional demand, clean energy met 33 %, while coal supported 64 % – which is less than 91 % in 2023.
With both economic growth and rising temperatures, India is expected to increase the air conditioner of 130-150 million new rooms in India over the next decade. This could increase the demand for electricity by more than 180 GW by 2035, which could put significant pressure on the national grid.
The share of domestic electricity consumption increased from 22 % in 2012-13 to 25 % in 2022-23, with a trend expert linked to increasing income and increased need for cooling.
According to the Oxford India Center for Sustainable Development, India is expected to demand the most population-based cooling in a world that is 2 ° C hot-China, Nigeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, the Philippines, and the United States.
