It's double trouble for India this time! First, there is the increased terrific imposed by America's President Donald Trump, and second, there are the contrasting weather conditions. This year, almost all the major states will experience severe heat. At the same time, there will be states that will experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds.
Winter is the coldest season of the year going from December to early April as per the Indian weather body–Indian Met Department, IMD. However, with the rapidly heating world, this categorisation of seasons is tough to follow. For instance, according to IMD February is classified as the month of winter. However, this year was the hottest month in the last 125 years. Coming to March, it broke heat records across many Indian states. Now, April is here, which is supposed to be the Spring month but it's not. As of now, it is less about going for a picnic to witness the blooming tree and chill and more about applying and reapplying sunscreens and wiping out the sweat. It is less Spring and more Summer.
Beat the Heat
IMD has alarmed high temperatures in Northern India across states like Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi. This week, the temperature already crossed 40 degrees Celsius in Delhi and on Wednesday it was 40.2 degrees Celsius, and it is expected to hit 41 degrees in the coming days. IMD has sounded a Yellow Alert for Northern states. It has four colour-coded warnings–Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red–depending upon the severity of the weather condition. To explain, Yellow alert means, it will be hot but tolerable for the general public. However, it can trigger health concerns for infants and the elderly. Punjab is also under a Yellow heatwave alert, and in Gujarat, things are even worse with the temperature already set to 45 degrees Celsius. The state was on a red alert on Wednesday and now downgraded to Orange alert.
"Currently, right from children to adults to senior citizens, all are impacted by heat. There is a 2% rise in heat-related cases in the age group 25-65 who have headaches, dizziness, sweating, and nausea and school-going kids aged 5- 10 years with dehydration," says Dr Manjusha Agarwal, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine, Gleneagles Hospital in Parel, Mumbai. She further shares that due to extreme heat, there's a surge in viral, flu, and respiratory infections in the age group 5-65. Many are coming with high fever, sore throat, pain in the throat, cough, and cold due to eating ice cream or other cold drinks," she reveals.
Northern India is already reeling under extreme heat, which earlier would come during summer–end of April. However, in the last few years, the Spring season has shrunk, making the heat waves arrive earlier than expected. Last year was also bad with every state in the country, except a few in the North East experiencing the heatwave. The year 2024 saw the highest number of heatwave days in 15 years. India recorded the hottest day ever at 50.5 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan. If the government data is to be believed 161 people died of heatwave across the country. However, independent experts say it could be as high as 733. Not to mention, this year is going to be worse. According to India's weather chief, most Indian states will experience an intense heatwave. Several states will experience more heatwave days than usual and above-normal temperatures.
Is India Prepared to Battle Heatwave
While the warnings are alarming, one wonders if the world's most populous country is prepared to handle the heatwaves it knows are coming. According to experts India's level of preparedness has improved as the IMD puts out mostly accurate forecasts. It tracks impending heatwaves and alerts states and districts a week in advance and governments begin executing the heat action plan.
As of now, at least 23 states have developed heat action plans and many of them used low-cost and sustainable interventions like the creation of shades in public spaces, boosting the availability of water, distribution of Oral Rehydration Solution, ORS, and shifting timings for schools and offices. Hospitals on the other hand, have come up with posters and pamphlets that carry information related to heat stroke and tips to manage it as "Sudden changes in humidity and temperature can weaken immunity and create a favorable environment for infections in all age groups," says Dr Agarwal.
Experts say those are effective measures but India is not heatproof yet. There is more work to be done. According to research, India needs more long-term interventions including better preparation in hospitals, a better fire management system and greener cities. "The goal should not be to wait for the heatwave and then scramble the score. It should go beyond that and involve solutions that can bring down local temperatures," says Rita Maker, a Mumbai-based environmentalist.
Learning From the West
Let's accept that climate change is the new normal, it comes with life-changing consequences but unlike many of them heatwaves can largely be managed only if timely management is initiated. Experts say it will take both prevention and care for India to beat the heatwaves. Meanwhile, Singapore is another country that was cooking in heat until they reimagined their city. Now, buildings fight heat waves instead of trapping them. From 1948 to 2016, Singapore's temperature rose by 0.25 degrees Celsius per decade. The nation didn't surrender but used a 3-step cooling strategy to save their country from the heatwaves.
First, they built vertical forests that slash AC bills by 31% to cool paints that drop temperatures. The country not only planted trees but also rewired their city. Wind corridors guide cool air, cool paints splash to reduce the heat by 2 degrees Celsius. Every building in Singapore became a part of the solution. This proves that beating urban heat is not about luxury but about survival.
Second, under Singapore's LUSH scheme, skyscrapers turned into urban forests, which resulted in over 300 hectares of vertical gardens now shade streets, drop temperatures, and save energy. The cities are now breathing again. The country found solutions to make their cities greener, fairer, and healthier for everyone–a sustainable solution for all.
Third, most Singaporeans live in public housing, which the government coated with cool paint that drops the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius. This doesn't require any electricity but smart science that shields people from heat.
Additionally, their DUCT system, a digital twin to predict heat, stimulates heat flows and tests how parks, buildings, and materials impact neighborhoods. This predicts the heat trap before it hits the cities. A next-gen climate action.
"The biggest lesson India can learn is that these solutions don't just cool cities, but also make them greener, fairer, and healthier for everyone," says Maker.
But can India adopt these strategies from Singapore to save its states from the heatwaves that have already knocked on our doors?
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