New Delhi. More than 20 states of the country are currently reeling under intense heat. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there is no hope of relief in some areas of Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra till May 29. At present, the mercury has crossed 45 degrees in 40 cities of the country. In Phalodi, Rajasthan, the mercury has reached 50 degrees Celsius. In such a situation, many types of questions are arising in the minds of people. First, will the temperature keep increasing like this every year? Second, which government agency is responsible for heat wave or increasing temperature? Third, is anything new going to happen on earth in the coming 10 years?
Let us tell you that according to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), 16 years ago, the effect of extreme heat and heat wave was seen only in 9-10 states in the country. These states were Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, apart from the North West region of Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. But, in the last 10-15 years, the temperature has increased by 5 to 7 degrees.
Why is the temperature rising?
Recently, NCDC, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released a research report on rising temperatures in India. This report mentions that in the last 10 years, the number of heat wave affected states in the country has increased by 35 percent. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of extreme heat affected states in the country has increased from 17 to 23. The special thing is that the names of Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand have also been included in it.
A research report has been released on rising temperatures in India.
To understand the rising temperature, you need to look at the latest data from the Global Forest Watch monitoring project. According to this report, India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree area since 2000, which is equivalent to a six percent reduction in tree cover during this period. The data showed that 95 percent of the tree cover loss in India from 2013 to 2023 occurred within natural forests.
What do environmentalists say?
At the same time, according to research published last year in The Lancet, ‘The country saw a 55% increase in heat-related deaths between 2000-04 and 2017-21. The most affected will be the poor who cannot afford air conditioning or working outside. Cooling India will mean changing the way construction is done. In the past, building structures were designed to protect people from their local climate. Cooling is not a matter of luxury. It is a matter of justice.’
The country’s well-known environmentalist Gopal Krishna says, ‘Look, I can say on the basis of my studies that in the last few years, trees have been felled at an unprecedented rate. If you take the name of development in the country, everything is forgiven. Development means that if all the greenery around disappears and concrete is visible, then it seems that development has taken place. People do not see development when greenery is visible. The truth is that if there is any department or ministry in the country or the states that is the weakest, then it is the Environment Ministry or Department. The environment in the country has been destroyed, the biggest reason for it is the indiscriminate cutting of trees and converting agricultural land into non-agricultural land.’
Heat wave conditions are prevailing in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. (File photo PTI)
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Which agency is most responsible?
Gopal Krishna further says, ‘Let me tell you that if any agency or institution has caused the most damage to the environment, then its name is the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. Why is there no Environment Minister in this committee? Let me tell you that this is a cabinet committee that takes decisions on the economic matters of the government. Governments or agencies pretend to be surprised when the temperature rises. This committee generates wealth by converting natural resources into currency. This is the reason why natural resources are being exploited and the heat is increasing. This is our weakest part.’
According to Gopal Krishna, ‘If the ministry which has the responsibility of saving the environment is weak, then what can you expect? The same is the case with the Water Resources Ministry. The main work of this ministry has become to exploit water resources. What started during the British rule is still going on. Cut the forests and make furniture and earn money from it. But, no government has paid attention to the harm caused by it. Let me tell you that the increase in temperature is not a big issue in our society or for the government. You can look around and see that wherever roads have been widened and forests have been cut, the temperature has increased. See, this is a philosophical problem, whose solution should also be found in a philosophical way. If this is the definition or philosophy of your wealth, then the situation will get worse.’
Tags: Delhi Weather Update, environment ministry, environment news, Heat Wave
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 27, 2024, 22:26 IST