{"id":43226,"date":"2024-11-03T04:25:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T22:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=43226"},"modified":"2025-05-06T00:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:16:28","slug":"tamil-nadu-declares-heatwave-a-state-specific-disaster-amid-rising-temperatures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tamil-nadu-declares-heatwave-a-state-specific-disaster-amid-rising-temperatures\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamil Nadu Declares Heatwave a State-Specific Disaster Amid Rising Temperatures"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>Rising Frequency of Heatwaves in India<\/li>\n<li>What are Heatwaves?<\/li>\n<li>Wet Bulb Temperature and Heat Stress<\/li>\n<li>Recommended Government Actions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Tamil Nadu government recently declared a heatwave as a State-specific disaster, enabling relief measures for those affected and compensation for families of heat-related casualties.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Interim actions to manage the heat will also be implemented, with funds allocated from the State Disaster Response Fund.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Rising Frequency of Heatwaves in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The World Meteorological Organization declared 2023 as the hottest year on record, with rising heatwave frequency attributed to anthropogenic climate change, as noted in the IPCC\u2019s Sixth Assessment Report.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In India, heatwaves have intensified, with significant health impacts documented. A study in <i>Environment International<\/i> highlighted frequent and severe heatwaves in recent decades, such as:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>1998<\/strong>: Severe two-week heatwave, the worst in 50 years.<\/li>\n<li><strong>1999<\/strong>: Unprecedented April heat, with temperatures over 40\u00b0C for more than 14 days.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2003<\/strong>: Heatwave causing over 3,000 deaths in Andhra Pradesh.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2010<\/strong>: Ahmedabad heatwave led to around 1,300 deaths.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023<\/strong>: Extreme heatwaves across India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>In May 2024, a severe heatwave struck, with Churu, Rajasthan, reaching 50.5\u00b0C, the highest in eight years.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The heatwave resulted in 219 deaths and over 25,000 cases of heatstroke, impacting people across the plains and hills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What are Heat waves?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>About\n<ul>\n<li>A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature.\n<ul>\n<li>In India, Heat waves typically occur from March to June, and in some rare cases, even extend till July.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>On an average, five-six heat wave events occur every year over the northern parts of the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40\u00b0C or more for Plains and at least 30\u00b0C or more for Hilly regions.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Based on Departure from Normal Heat Wave<\/strong>: Departure from normal is 4.50\u00b0C to 6.40\u00b0C; Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is &gt;6.40\u00b0C<\/li>\n<li><strong>Based on Actual Maximum Temperature Heat Wave<\/strong>: When actual maximum temperature \u2265 45\u00b0C; Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature \u226547\u00b0C<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Health Impacts of Extreme Heat<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Rapid rises in heat gain compromises the body\u2019s ability to regulate temperature.<\/li>\n<li>It can result in a cascade of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia.<\/li>\n<li>Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can lead to conditions from heat exhaustion to heat stroke and exacerbates issues like renal, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Vulnerable populations\u2014such as children, seniors, pregnant women, and outdoor workers\u2014face higher risks. Extreme heat also impacts early childhood development, affecting learning, sleep, and mental health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Wet Bulb Temperature and Heat Stress<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature achievable by evaporative cooling, such as sweating, and it measures the combined effects of heat and humidity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Beyond this threshold, the body can no longer cool itself, leading to heat stroke or death.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This is particularly concerning for humid regions like India, with its extensive coastlines.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Research indicates that a wet bulb temperature exceeding 35\u00b0C for prolonged periods poses a universal heat stress limit, making heat dissipation impossible and inducing hyperthermia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Recommended Government Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Equip health centers and hospitals with essential resources like ORS and medications.<\/li>\n<li>Offer water and shelters for those working outdoors.<\/li>\n<li>Adjust work hours to minimize outdoor exposure during peak heat times.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Long-term goals include addressing climate change causes and improving infrastructure to reduce vulnerability, especially in low-income communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q.1. How is Tamil Nadu responding to increasing heatwaves?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Tamil Nadu has declared heatwaves a State-specific disaster, enabling support measures for affected citizens. Resources include health facilities, stockpiled medicines, and heat shelters, with funding allocated from the State Disaster Response Fund to manage the crisis.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q.2. What health risks are associated with extreme heat in India?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Extreme heat increases risks of heatstroke, renal failure, and cardiovascular issues. Vulnerable groups such as children, seniors, and outdoor workers face heightened risks, while high wet bulb temperatures may prevent effective body cooling, leading to hyperthermia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/how-is-tamil-nadu-bracing-for-heatwaves-explained\/article68823532.ece#:~:text=The%20story%20so%20far%3A%20The,to%20help%20manage%20the%20heat.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>How is Tamil Nadu bracing for heatwaves?<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mausam.imd.gov.in\/responsive\/history.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>IMD<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/heatwave-predicted-april-june-india-meteorological-department-2521816-2024-04-01\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>India Today<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With intense heat waves affecting Tamil Nadu, the government has classified heatwaves as a State-specific disaster. Relief measures include healthcare provisions, heat shelters, and adjusted work hours to protect vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":43227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-43226","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}