From 7 To 30 In 5 Decades: Nagpur’s Heatwave Days Spike Sparks Alarm

Nagpur: From seven in 1970 to 30 in 2019, Nagpur has seen a sharp rise of 23 heatwave days recorded in a year over five decades, according to data presented by India Meteorological Department (IMD).The spikes have been periodic. After seven heatwave days in 1970, the number jumped to 23 by 1973, an increase of 16 days within just 3 years. Other peak years include 18 days in 1988, 23 days in 2005 and 22 days in 2010, before reaching highest level of 30 days in 2019. The count dropped to seven days in 2021. As per the data, these years coincided with infrastructure development and loss of green cover. The data was shared by IMD forecasting officer Praveen Kumar during an interactive session on "Heatwaves, Health Risks & Weather Reporting" organised by the Regional Meteorological Centre Nagpur in collaboration with the Patrakar Club of Nagpur and Asar Social Impact Advisors, on World Earth Day on Thursday.In Vidarbha, heatwave events also showed repeated spikes. The number doubled from three in 1970 to six in 1973, and reached six events again in 2010, 2017 and 2019.Duration of heatwaves remained consistently high during peak years. Average duration hovered around 13 days in 1984, 1989 and 2012, rising slightly to 14 days in 2018.Former state surveillance officer, Maharashtra Health Services, Dr Pradeep Awate, who was the other speaker, said heatwaves are a direct consequence of the enhanced greenhouse effect, where human-generated gases trap heat and raise temperatures beyond natural levels.He noted that urbanisation contributed to rising temperatures in Nagpur, with studies indicating an increase of about 1.33°C between 1998 and 2015. Dr Awate said heat exposure significantly affects health, with cardiovascular disease mortality increasing by about 2.1% for every 1°C rise in temperature and overall 11.7% higher risk during heatwave periods.