The blistering heat wave sweeping across a large parts of India continues on Wednesday. There's no respite in sight so far in the affected areas -- Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and northwest Madhya Pradesh.
The Met Office has issued a red alert for these states, stressing the need for "extreme care for vulnerable people". It said extreme heat will continue in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh, safe havens for people escaping the punishing heat in the plains, during the period.
On Tuesday, temperatures remained above 45 degrees Celsius in swathes of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh, affecting daily life as many chose to remain indoors in the afternoon. Parts of Gujarat reeled from the deadly combination of high heat and humidity. Parts of Gujarat reeled from the deadly combination of high heat and humidity.
The mercury soared to a blistering 47.8 degrees Celsius in Haryana's Sirsa, making it the warmest place in the country on Tuesday. In Delhi, temperatures dropped a few degrees compared to the previous days but remained three to five notches above normal for this time of the year.
Officials said the national capital's peak power demand reached an all-time high of 7,717 MW on Tuesday afternoon, as households and offices increased the use of air conditioners. The power demand is projected to cross 8,000 MW, peaking at around 8,200 MW this summer.
Resident Welfare Associations in Delhi demanded that coolers, fans, cold drinking water, and doctors be made available at polling booths to beat the heat on election day in the national capital. Polling for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city will be held on May 25.
According to a World Bank report, India could account for 34 million of the projected 80 million global job losses from heat stress-associated productivity decline by 2030. With 75 per cent of workers in India experiencing heat-related stress, lost labour from rising heat and humidity could result in a loss of up to 4.5 per cent of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (equivalent to approximately USD 150-250 billion) by the end of this decade, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute.
What is a red alert? A red extreme heat warning means a severe heatwave has persisted for more than two days or the total number of heat/severe heatwave days has been more than six days. There is a “very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages,” according to IMD. Extreme care needs to be exercised for vulnerable people, such as the elderly, infants and those with chronic diseases.