Feasibility of “Heat Action Plan (HAP)” in India

Feasibility of “Heat Action Plan (HAP)” in India

GS-1,2,3: Geographical phenomena, Government policies, Environmental protection

(IAS/UPPCS)

Relevant for Prelims:

Heat Wave, IMD, Center for Policy Research, Heat Action Plan(HAP), El Nino, La Nino.

Relevant for Mains:

About heatwave, Heat Action Plan (HAP), challenges, main causes of heat wave in India, way forward, conclusion.

18/04/2024

Source: TH

Why in news:

Recently, IMD has predicted an increase in maximum temperatures and frequency of heat waves in the coming days over eastern and southern India.

  • Very hot temperatures (3.1-5 degrees Celsius above normal) were recorded in parts of Northeast and Western India as early as February this year.
  • Questions are being raised on the feasibility of India's “Heat Action Plan (HAP)” and its preparedness to face the threat posed by extreme heat.
  • People at the lowest level in India will be affected by extreme heat, which will have negative impacts on both their health and ability to earn a living.

What is heatwave:

  • According to IMD, the definition of heatwave depends on the geographical location of the areas.

Definition:

  • In case of heat wave, the temperature of an area increases by at least 4.5-6.4 degrees centigrade from its average temperature.
  • When the temperature in plain areas crosses 40 degrees Celsius or more, in coastal areas 37 degrees or more and in hilly areas it crosses 30 degrees Celsius or more, then this situation is called heat wave.
  • About Heat Action Plan (HAP):
  • Heat Action Plan (HAP) is a primary policy response to economically damaging and life-threatening heatwaves. It prescribes a number of activities, disaster responses and post-heat response measures to reduce the impact of heatwaves.
  • Heat Action Plan (HAP) to take short-term action at the state, district and city level to limit the number of human deaths and other adverse impacts of heat waves and based on data and analysis of past heatwaves, documents have been prepared for long-term action to combat future heatwaves.
  • Short-term actions could include alerting people about heatwaves and coordinating different departments such as health and agriculture.
  • Long-term actions may include infrastructural changes such as cool roofs, increased green cover and water harvesting structures.

Feasibility Challenges of Heat Action Plan (HAP):

Unprecedented Challenge:

  • Extreme heat is an unprecedented challenge to health and productivity, with the frequency of heatwaves increasing in recent decades due to climate change.
  • Heatwave events in the years 1998, 2002, 2010, 2015 and 2022 caused significant impacts on labor productivity, water availability, agriculture and energy systems, causing widespread economic damage, including large-scale deaths.
  • The frequency of extreme heatwave events in India has increased by 30 times due to human-induced actions.

Increase in average temperature:

  • 24 urban centers are projected to exceed average summer high temperatures by at least 35 degrees Celsius by 2050, which will adversely impact economically vulnerable sections.

Inappropriateness of Heat Action Plan for local scenario:

  • Most HAPs are not designed for the local scenario. They usually focus on extremely dry temperatures and ignore the dangers posed by humid temperatures and hot nights.
  • Most HAPs have adopted national heatwave thresholds that may not be compatible with the risks faced by local populations.
  • Only 10 of the 37 HAPs have locally specified temperature limits.

Lack of financing:

  • Funding sources for only three of the 37 HAPs have been identified. Eight HAPs call for self-allocation of resources to implementing departments, indicating a serious funding shortfall.

Weak legal basis:

  • The legal basis for HAPs is weak. None of the reviewed HAPs indicate their legal sources of authority. This reduces bureaucratic incentives to prioritize and comply with HAPs directives.

Lack of transparency:

  • Furthermore, HAPs are insufficiently transparent. There is no national repository of HAPs and very few HAPs are listed online. There is also a need to clarify whether these HAPs are being updated from time to time and whether this is based on evaluation data.

India's extreme sensitivity to heat:

  • India is one of the most exposed and sensitive countries to heat.
  • The number of three-day concurrent hot day and night events has increased significantly between 1951 and 2016, also, with intermediate and high emissions of RCP (refers to carbon concentration) 4.5 and RCP 8.5, it is estimated to increase two to four times by the year 2050.

Major causes of occurrence of heat wave in India:

  • El Nio plays a major role in the generation of heat wave in North India.
  • El Nino is a seasonal phenomenon in which warm winds flow in a west-east direction over the central Pacific Ocean.
  • Spread of heat wave in South India due to north-south pressure generated by La Nino.
  • La Nino is a weather phenomenon affecting the world in which a group of cold winds flows in an east-west direction over the central Pacific Ocean.
  • Increased impact of paved and concrete roads in urban areas.
  • Reduction in forest cover and tree cover.
  • Due to urban heat island effect, increase in atmospheric temperature by 3 to 4 degrees above normal.
  • Global temperature has increased by an average of 0.8 degrees in the last 100 years.
  • Increase in high daily temperatures due to climate change.
  • High intensity of ultraviolet rays in medium-high heat wave regions.

Way forward:

  • Emissions must be reduced over the next 20 years to prevent global warming from reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius.
  • Identify new sources of funding for the Heat Action Plan (HAP) as per the recommendations of the Center for Policy Research (CPR) and continuously improve it by aligning HAP actions with existing national and state policies.
  • The people most affected by the heat should be assessed, so that appropriate and strategic steps can be taken for their relief.

Conclusion:

India has made considerable progress in this regard in the last decade by creating dozens of heat action plans. However, the evaluation has revealed many shortcomings in all these plans, which will have to be rectified and implemented in future plans.

If we do not do so, India will suffer economic losses from declining labor productivity, sudden and frequent disruptions in agriculture, and unbearably hot cities as heatwaves become more frequent and intense.

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Mains Question

What are heat waves? Explain the causes of heat wave in India.

Evaluate the feasibility of Heat Action Plan (HAP) in India.