Climate Change Made the April 2023 Heat Wave Across India 30 Times More Likely

Aathira Perinchery

Human-induced climate change made the April 2023 heat wave across India and Bangladesh 30 times more likely, as per a report by an international team of climate scientists as part of the World Weather Attribution group published on May 17. Their report, which also studied the heat wave that swept across parts of Thailand and Laos, found that the heat wave would have been “virtually impossible” in these countries if it wasn’t for climate change.

And as the world continues to warm up, the likelihood of an event like the April 2023 humid heat wave recurring would increase, the report said. In India and Bangladesh, it would increase by three times if we reach the 2°C warming threshold, suggesting that such an event could occur every one or two years.

While India is better off when it comes to having systems in place (such as Heat Action Plans) to prepare for and deal with heat waves, there are still more improvements to be made such as ensuring differentiated vulnerability assessments that take into account factors such as gender, economic status and occupation, the authors said.

Policies should also consider social protection systems such as compensatory mechanisms in place for vulnerable communities, they added. The April 2023 heat wave Large parts of South Asia witnessed high temperatures between the second and fourth week of April this year.

Temperatures soared in Thailand and Laos during this time. The city of Tak in Thailand recorded the country’s hottest ever temperature (45.4°C), as did two cities in Laos. Bangladesh recorded its highest maximum temperature in several decades (mercury touched 40.6°C) and registered several cases of heat strokes among people. In India too, April was extremely hot. Pragyaraj in Uttar Pradesh recorded 44.6°C on April 17.

The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) predictions of heat wave conditions over north, central and east India – including the states of Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi-NCR – came true over these days. On April 16, 13 people lost their lives in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, due to exposure to the heat at a public event; there were reports of more than 600 hospitalisations too. (The Wire)