Recently, there has been a surge in the incidence of heatwaves in India. Discuss the reasons behind this and state the various mitigation measures in this regard.

According to IMD, a heat wave is considered when temperature at a station reaches at least 40°C or more for plains & at least 30°C or more for hilly regions. In the past few years, India has recorded some of the most hottest hummers on record. Temperature faces due to various natural & man-made factors. The following are the reasons for the increased incidence of heatwaves in the country: 1) Climate change: => It is the major contributor to rising heatwaves all over the globe. => At the plant level up, more & more heatwaves will become common, eg: Delhi 2024. 2) Urbanization: => Urban heat island effect - here a localized hot area can be heated degree higher than the neighboring areas. => Heat dome - due to asphalt & concrete surfaces eg: Delhi, Bangalore 2014. 3) Reduced Natural Vegetation: => Vegetation acts as a natural cooling system, by absorbing & selecting water vapor through transpiration. => They take up CO2 & lower down by help in reducing the out Brahe hard effect of the gas. 4) Scarcity of water: => India had a huge population staying in water scarce areas. => Encroachment into surface water reserves can also increase temperature by reducing the amount of moisture in the air. 5) Poverty: => It is the poor people who are more vulnerable to the damage effects of heat waves. Various measures to mitigate the impact of heatwaves include: 1) Public awareness: => People awareness & education should be given about the rising temperature for health & environmental essentials. => This can be done by imparting education at school level, conducting awareness campaign, disseminating of information by media. 2) Integration of policy institutions: => The National Disaster Management Authority NDMA of IMD are - working with 23 states home to high temperature towards heat action plans.