Extreme climatic conditions killed 35,000 in India over two decade

New Delhi: As the India witnessed extreme weather conditions in the recent times, the brunt of its impact is quite visible, with 35,000 lives were lost in the country between 2001 and 2019, a new study has found.

As per new study, in 2015 alone, it estimated 1,907 deaths due to a heatstroke and 1,147 because of cold exposure. The findings published in the journal Temperature, reported 19,693 deaths from heatstroke and 15,197 from cold exposure between 2001 and 2019.

“Deaths due to heatstroke is more significant, compared to deaths due to cold exposure, albeit recording an upward trend,” the study’s lead author Pradeep Guin from the OP Jindal Global University (JGU), in Sonipat, India, said in a statement.

Pradeep Guin said that deaths due to exposure to extreme temperatures are avoidable and that measures to mitigate health impacts need to be put in place.

“With an intense heatwave forecast to hit most of the country this summer and extreme weather events becoming more frequent around the globe as the world warms, there is no time to be lost in raising awareness about the dangers of extreme temperatures and putting in place measures to reduce their impact,” Guin said.

Researchers analysed national temperature data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and mortality figures from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The study examined national-level trends between 2001 and 2019 and state-level data from 24 Indian states over the shorter period of 2001 to 2014.

The national and state-level data were analysed over different time periods as the available data varied across sources, the researchers wrote in the paper.

State-wise, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab were found to record the most deaths due to a heatstroke, whereas the most deaths due to exposure to extreme cold came from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar.

Co-author Nandita Bhan from the school of public health and human development at O P Jindal Global University, said the results highlight the urgent need of heat and cold action plans for vulnerable states.

“Several states in India are developing heat action plans that can provide relief through innovative built environment initiatives, and these need study as well as scale-up, including expanding cold action plans across more vulnerable states,” Bhan said.