2022 Indian heat wave

The 2022 Indian heat wave has led to the hottest March in India since 1901. It arrived unusually early in the year and extended into April, affecting a large part of the country's northwest.[2][3] Rainfall has been only a quarter to a third of normal. Several cities across India had high temperatures over 42.8 °C (109.0 °F), with Wardha rising to 45 °C (113 °F).[4] The heat wave is remarkable for occuring during a La Niña event.[5]

2022 Indian heat wave
TypeHeat wave
AreasIndia
Start dateMarch 2022 (2022-03)
Losses
Deaths25[1]

The heatwave has also been felt across the border in Pakistan, where the cities of Jacobabad and Sibi recorded high temperatures of 47 °C (117 °F). Pakistan's Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman described it as a "spring-less year". [6]

Impacts

Agriculture

During the 2022 food crises, India began taking steps to export more wheat, in part to fill the gaps created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] However, the heatwave caused increasing local prices and lower supply, issues also exacerbated by the war increasing fertilizer prices.[8] The decrease in harvests was largely driven by the 2022 Indian heat wave which is expected to severely reduce wheat harvest, killing the plants during the final weeks where they are usually growing.[9][10]

Electricity shortages

India faces its worst electricity shortage in more than six years, and demand due to the heat wave has strained the electric grid in the country.[11] Scorching temperatures force early closures of schools and send people indoors.[11] Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh have all reduced power allocated to industry due to an increase in power consumption dedicated to cooling.

The high power demand has increased demand for coal in India, which is the main source of electricity generation in the country. The state-run enterprise Coal India increased its output by 27%. Indian Railways has had to cancel hundreds of passenger trains as an emergency measure to prioritize hauling coal to power plants to avoid blackouts.[12]

References
  1. 25 heat stroke deaths in Maharashtra, most in 6 years, Times of India, May 2, 2022
  2. Saaliq, Sheikh (April 11, 2022). "India's northwest reels under unusual early heat wave". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. Smith, Saphora (April 26, 2022). "India's heatwave compared to start of climate disaster novel". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  4. Cappucci, Matthew (April 25, 2022). "Record heat has gripped India since March. It's about to get worse". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  5. Vaughan, Adam (April 26, 2022). "Severe Indian heatwave will bake a billion people and damage crops". New Scientist. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  6. CNN, Rhea Mogul, Esha Mitra, Manveena Suri and Sophia Saifi. "India and Pakistan heatwave is 'testing the limits of human survivability'". CNN. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  7. Bhardwaj, Mayank (16 March 2022). "EXCLUSIVE India acts to seize gap in wheat export market left by Ukraine war". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  8. "Explained: How heatwave might thwart India's dream to feed the world". Firstpost. 2022-04-20. Archived from the original on 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  9. Vaughan, Adam. "Severe Indian heatwave will bake a billion people and damage crops". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  10. Kumar, Hari; Ives, Mike (28 April 2022). "The Extreme Heat Pummeling India and Pakistan Is About to Get Worse". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  11. Varadhan, Sudarshan (28 April 2022). "India sweats over worst power cuts in six years during extreme heat". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  12. Varadhan, Sudarshan (2022-04-29). "Power-hungry India halts passenger trains to free up track to move coal". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-05-03.


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