Delhi heatwave: Orange alert over severe heat wave; how to stay protected and signs of heatwave one shouldn't ignore

An orange alert was issued by the India Meteorological Department on 7^th June, 2022 warning people against the atrocious heatwave in Delhi and the neighboring regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The weather stations in Delhi which experienced the maximum number of heatwaves in 2022 were Pitampura, Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi, Najafgarh and Jafarpur in south-west Delhi.

However, Delhi’s main station did not witness such an excruciating heatwave till now. It has also been examined that the areas which were largely under the impact of industrial activities had to face worse heat waves as compared to those areas which were near the countryside.

While heat waves are a very common thing in India, in the months of May and June, the intensity of heat waves become abnormally high. It is like a “human climatic change” being faced by everyone and its consequences are dreadful.

“India has experienced among the fastest increases in urban extreme heat exposure worldwide”, Cascade Tuholske, a postdoctoral researcher in Columbia said. To sum up, the Indians should bring an improvement in their activities and watch the side effects which are being caused by them before the situation worsens.

Factors affecting heatwave

The factors which usually cause severe heat waves are less ventilation, human activities such as the increased emission of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants which mainly include aerosols. The aerosols have a pathetic impact on human health in the long run. The other factors causing heat waves are increased urbanization, the massive buildings of concrete block the air quality as a number of trees get cut in the process.

There are several warning signs of heat waves, which if noticed early can help us to manage the condition before it worsens further:

1.Increased body temperature (104 degree F or higher)

2.Rapid pulse rate

3.Hot or reddish skin

4.Nausea

5.Light head

If one gets affected by a heat stroke then halt all activities and reach out to a cooler place. Drink plenty of water, wet a towel and place it over the skin, a cold shower also provides respite. You can also apply ice packs on armpits, groin, neck and back. Try to seek medical help immediately.

1.Wear loose summery outfits

2. Stay hydrated

3. Check the weather forecast beforehand and if there is a probability of a heatwave, prefer staying indoors.

3.Don’t forget to wear sunscreen

4.Avoid beverages like alcohol and coffee

5.Consume vegetables and fruits which have a high water content

According to RK Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD, the western areas in Delhi have a worse impact of the heat as they are close to south Haryana and Rajasthan (desert area). The punishing heat has also caused a hindrance in a number of human activities and has also gravely affected human health causing cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. As far as human activities are concerned, the heatwaves have reduced soil fertility, shortened the days of the school calendars and have also cut down crop yields, it also becomes a hideous task for the industry workers to work efficiently, they become lackadaisical.