Summer Resolution
Introduction:
- According to a prediction given by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in April 2023, the summer months will be extremely hot.
Information on IMD:
- India Meteorological Department (IMD) was established in New Delhi in 1875. It is a division of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Indian government.
- The premier government agency for all areas relating to meteorology and related subjects, it serves as the country’s National Meteorological Service. It is the principal agency in charge of meteorological observations, seismology, and weather forecasting.
- IMD is one of the International Meteorological Organization’s six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMCs) for Tropical Cyclones. RSMC New Delhi assigns names to the tropical cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean.
The heat waves in India:
- An extended stretch of unseasonably high temperatures and excessive humidity is referred to as a heat wave. In India, a heatwave is defined as a station’s maximum temperature reaching at least 40 degrees C or more for the Plains or at least 30 degrees C or more for hilly regions.
IMD Prognosis:
- The majority of India is expected to see above average maximum temperatures during the “hot weather season” (March to May), with the exception of the peninsula and certain regions of northwest India, which are expected to experience normal or even below average “maximum” temperatures.
- This does not imply that the weather will be pleasant in northwest India, where temperatures frequently approach 45°C. A large portion of central, eastern, and northwest India is anticipated to have above-average heatwave days throughout the hot weather season. A heatwave day is defined as a temperature that is 4°–5°C higher than what is typical for that time of year in a locality.
Result of El Nino:
- Northwest India experiences less rain when an El Nio event occurs, which is characterised by an increase in sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Central Pacific. Little monsoon rainfall from June to September and drought-like conditions are regular characteristics of El Nio years.
- The official forecast from the IMD states that the Pacific is still in “neutral” conditions, without either an El Nio or its opposite, a cooling La Nia. The possibility of an El Nio gradually emerging grows from 15% in April to June to 35% in May to July and then jumps to roughly 55% in June to August, according to the forecast from the World Meteorological Organization. Later this month, the IMD will issue its first monsoon projection, which will take into account the El Nio-La Nia development.
Unmet needs in preventing heatwaves in India:
- Many States have produced documents outlining methods and techniques to deal with heat-related emergencies, which, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) studies warn, are only likely to get worse. Yet, a lot of these recommendations are only in writing.
- The bulk of these heat action plans, according to researchers at the Centre for Policy Research, are not created to take into consideration local circumstances. For instance, only the risks related to extremely high temperatures are evaluated, while the risks related to humidity and warm nights are negligible to nonexistent. Several of the ideas lack legal backing and have little funding.
NDMA Guidelines and other actions:
- Predictions are created to help states in their planning. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) started educating States on how to develop heat action plans in 2016.
Conclusion:
- The federal government and state governments must cooperate more closely to carry out these plans, and forecasts for heat waves should be taken just as seriously as those for the monsoon.
