New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tripura were the top five heatwave hotspot states in the 2013-22 decade, according to a new analysis.
The report, “Managing Monsoons in a Warming Climate” by the independent developmental organisation IPE Global Limited and Esri India Technologies, said 74 per cent of districts in the coastal regions, 71 per cent in the plains, and 65 per cent in the hills had ‘high to very high’ exposure to extreme heat waves. It said districts in the plains and hills experienced a 36 per cent increase in heatwave days during the 2013-22 decade while coastal districts recorded a 30 per cent rise.
It also noted that the decade recorded fewer cumulative heatwave days compared to the previous two decades. The decade’s most impactful extreme heatwave event occurred in 2015, the second deadliest after the 1998 event. The analysis suggested that during the March-April-May period and the subsequent June-July-August-September period, districts in the plains experienced the maximum number of heatwave days. Coastal districts saw a decline in the number of heatwave instances, both in frequency and intensity, in the past decade, which could be attributed to the increase in cyclonic activities in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Government data shows extreme heat and sunstroke claimed 10,635 lives in India over the 10 years from 2013.