Lok Sabha Question No. 154 (STARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Heat Wave
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: SUDHEER GUPTA, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *154 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 04, 2016

## HEAT WAVE

- *154.       SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether various parts of the country are experiencing severe heat wave conditions during the summer and if so, the details thereof including the States most affected by the severe heat wave along with the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the Government has conducted or proposes to conduct a detailed scientific study on the 'heat wave' phenomenon in various parts of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has also assessed the impact of intensive heat  wave  on  human  beings  as  well  as  flora  and  fauna  of  the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the remedial measures  taken/  proposed  to  be taken by the Government to address the issue?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND

MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA IN REPLY (a) to (d) TO STARRED QUESTION NO. *154 REGARDING 'Heat Waves' TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, May 04, 2016.

- (a) Yes Madam. Every year India experiences severe heat waves in summer, but in the  year  2016  during  March-April,  the  most  affected  states  include  Odisha, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and    Karnataka  on  many  days  and  Himachal  Pradesh,  Punjab,  Haryana,  Delhi, Rajasthan,  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Gujarat  on  some  days.    Date-wise  details  are given in Annexure-I.

The reason for severe heat wave during this summer was the El-Nino effect, warm sea  surface  temperature  over  the  pacific  ocean  and  other  oceanic  basins including  the  Indian  Ocean  which  had    an  impact  on  the  Global  atmospheric circulation pattern as well. The winds blowing over the Indian sub-continent are warm & dry. During the current season, the southern peninsular India as well as the  coastal  belt  of  India  was  under  the  influence  of  continental  dry  air,  which moderate temperatures. A deficient southwest monsoon of past year also has contributed to this situation, in terms of depleted soil moisture, dry and parched land surface & water bodies and less vegetation, which in turn resulting in less & less moisture normally have the Maritime influence and thus experience content from evapo-transpiration.

- (b) Using daily maximum temperature data of 103 stations uniformly distributed over the  country  for  the  period  1961-2010  from  the  Indian  main  land  during  the  hot weather  season  (March  to  July)  for  the  last  50  years  (1961-2010),  various statistical aspects of heat waves (HWs) and severe heat waves (SHWs) such as long term climatology, decadal variation, and long term trends were examined. It was  observed  that  many  areas  of  the  country  (north,  northwest,  central  and northeast Peninsula) have experienced HW days of ≥8 HW days on an average per season.  The  SHW  were  mainly  experienced  over  north,  northwest  and  central parts  of  the  country.  Compared  to  previous  four  decades,  there  was  noticeable increase  in  the  HW/SHW  days  over  the  country  during  the  recent  decade  20012010, which is also the warmest decade for the country as well as for the globe.
- (c) Limited  studies  suggest  that  heat  wave  conditions  lead  to  exhaustion  and  is considered  by  experts  to  be  the  forerunner  of  heat  stroke  with  the  difference being that the neurologic function remains intact. Heat exhaustion is marked by excessive  dehydration  and  electrolyte  (sodium  and  potassium  salts  depletion  / imbalance).  Symptoms  may  include  diarrhea,  headache,  nausea  and  vomiting, dizziness  etc.  Definitive  therapy  includes  removing  patients  from  the  heat  and replenishing  their  fluids.  There  is  an  urgent  need  to  quantify  much  of  the subjective and intuitive information that has been published on climate/mortality relationships. Heat wave conditions forces wild life fauna, particularly mammals, birds  and  reptiles,  to  shift  from  their  habitats  to  places  in  the  vicinity  of  water bodies unable to bear the scorching heat.
- (d) Upon  prediction of the heat wave  conditions  by the India Meteorological Department  (IMD),  various  state  Governments  have  a  system  of  giving  wide publicity of Dos and Don'ts through advertisements in TV channels, News Papers and opening drinking water camps at identified places in rural and urban areas to mitigate the impact of heat waves. The schedule of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers is adjusted to avoid exposure to extreme hot weather duration periods. Advisories include precautionary measures to avoid heat stroke include - drinking plenty of water; avoiding going out in open heat during 10AM4PM; wearing light colored clothes; covering head/using umbrella while going out; monitoring symptoms of heat stroke etc.

Annexure-I Severe heat waves and Heat waves during March-April 2016 in India

| DATE/Category   | Severe heat waves                                       | Heat waves                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23 March 2016   |                                                         | Isolated places over Saurahtra & Kutch                                                                                                                                       |
| 24 March 2016   |                                                         | Isolated places over Saurahtra & Kutch                                                                                                                                       |
| 25 March 2016   |                                                         | At a few places over west Madhya Pradesh and at isolated places over Gujarat state                                                                                           |
| 26 March 2016   |                                                         | At a few places over east Madhya Pradesh and at isolated places over west Madhya Pradesh                                                                                     |
| 2 April 2016    |                                                         | At isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, west Rajasthan and east Madhya Pradesh                                                                                             |
| 3 April 2016    | At a few places over east Madhya Pradesh.               | At a few places over west Madhya Pradesh and at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi and east Rajasthan.                                                         |
| 4 April 2016    |                                                         | At a few places over east Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                     |
| 5 April 2016    |                                                         | At many places over Jharkhand and at isolated places over east Madhya Pradesh.                                                                                               |
| 7 April 2016    |                                                         | At isolated places over Odisha.                                                                                                                                              |
| 9 April 2016    |                                                         | At a few places over Odisha and at isolated places over Jharkhand and Bihar.                                                                                                 |
| 10 April 2016   | At isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal            | At a few places over Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.                                                                                                                            |
| 11 April 2016   | At isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha | At isolated places over Jharkhand and Bihar.                                                                                                                                 |
| 12 April 2016   |                                                         | At isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha                                                                                                                      |
| 15 April 2016   |                                                         | At isolated places of west Rajasthan.                                                                                                                                        |
| 16 April 2016   | in Jharkhand                                            | In Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, at a few places over Odisha, east Uttar Pradesh and east Madhya Pradesh and at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal and west Rajasthan. |

| 17 April 2016   |                                                               | At many places in Jharkhand and at a few places in Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab and east Madhya Pradesh.                 |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18 April 2016   |                                                               | at many places in Jharkhand and at a few places in Odisha.                                                                       |
| 19 April 2016   | At a few places in Jharkhand                                  | At a few places in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.                                                                                      |
| 20 April 2016   | At most places in Jharkhand                                   | At many places in Odisha, a few places in Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.                        |
| 21 April 2016   |                                                               | At many places in Odisha, a few places in Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.                        |
| 22 April 2016   |                                                               | At a few places in Odisha and at isolated places in Gangetic West Bengal and Vidarbha.                                           |
| 23 April 2016   | At isolated places in Odisha and south coastal Andhra Pradesh | At a few places in Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and south coastal Andhra Pradesh and at isolated places in Telangana. |
| 24 April 2016   |                                                               | At a few places in Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.                                     |

*** at isolated places (1-25% of area), at a few places (26-50% of area),  at many places(51-75% of area)