Cyclone Mocha sounds heatwave alert in Konkan and north Maharashtra

Mumbai: Maharashtra experienced a widespread heatwave, with temperatures rising significantly in Konkan, which includes Mumbai, and approaching the 45-degree Celsius mark in northern (Khandesh) and eastern (Vidarbha and Marathwada) Maharashtra.
Climate change experts have emphasized the need for sustainable reforms aimed at mitigating emissions and addressing the risks posed by global warming, which have substantial implications for public health and agriculture.
Heatwave alerts have been declared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in various regions of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Konkan, north central Maharashtra, and a few districts in Vidarbha. This is the fourth heat wave alert for the season for Konkan region since March, according to IMD scientist Sushama Nair. While several areas in western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha have been reeling under above normal temperatures for the past three weeks.
Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, former secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India said “Now, as Cyclone Mocha moves through the Bay of Bengal towards Bangladesh and Myanmar, the westerlies will be influenced, causing more heat waves in India's north, central, and coastal regions, as we are seeing along the Konkan coast. The high temperatures may not last for a long time, and will subside in the next four to five days for central India and the Maharashtra region”.
Lubaina Rangwala, associate director, World Resources Institute (WRI) India said, “This year's summer has been brutal, and each year it is getting progressively worse. Last April, Mumbai saw temperatures higher than 35 degree Celsius with relative humidity upwards of 80% in some areas.
What this means is that the city was exposed to a heat index (or wet bulb temperature) upwards of 50 degree Celsius. In coastal cities temperatures higher than 35 degree Celsius are dangerous because they surpass a body's ability to cool off after exposure and result in severe illnesses, and fatalities”.
Aditya Pillai, associate fellow at Centre for Policy Research and Co-author of the report, “How is India Adapting to Heatwaves?: An assessment of heat action plans with insights for transformative climate action’, assesses 37 heat action plans across 18 states.
“We're seeing a spike in extreme heat along the Konkan coast for the second time this year and multiple heatwave warnings across the Vidarbha, Marathwada and central Maharashtra region. It's important to step back and think about this in terms of a broader rise in heatwave alerts as the planet gets hotter. The key is to make sure we have well-oiled public machinery in place to respond to this. We have made progress in forecasting and communicating heatwave warnings, the next step is to have localised heat action plans and implement responses quickly, efficiently and repeatedly over the course of a summer”.
Dr Anjal Prakash, associate professor (Research) and research director with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business (ISB) and lead author of two distinct IPCC Reports (released between 2019 and 2022) said, “As the IPCC reports have indicated, there will be significant seasonal variability as temperatures rise. The planet is anticipated to warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius by the middle of the century. Every fraction of warming has implications for the way seasons are organised. There are two significant ramifications. 1) wet areas will be wetter, while dry areas will have more dry spells - and 2) rainfall unpredictability will result in periods of constant rain and periods of protracted dry spells. As a result, seasons have been entirely thrown off, which has implications across numerous sectors, including agriculture. The assessment of the effects of heat on human health must be prioritised and included in governance planning”.