How heat stress has increased in urban India this year
NEW DELHI : Ten of India’s 65 cities with over a million population experienced more than 100 hours of ‘heat stress’—dangerous levels of both heat and humidity—in May, in the midst of India’s longest election season, data analysed by climate tech startup, Respirer Living Sciences, showed. Heat stress refers to situations when the heat index, which accounts for both surface temperature and humidity, exceeds 41°C.
This condition strains the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature and can severely impact work productivity, and the report shows that this has grown significantly this month as compared to May 2023 in some of India’s largest cities. Over the past few decades, India has been experiencing higher temperatures more frequently and earlier than usual, accompanied by extended periods of longer and more intense heat waves and higher humidity levels.
This combination of intense heat and humidity during the prolonged summer months is leading to increased heat stress across several regions in India. While nine of the 65 cities analysed showed nil hours of heat stress, 55 others recorded an increase in the heat stress hours during May - typically considered the peak summer month.
Nearly 85% of the 65 cities analysed, experienced an increase in heat stress hours compared to the same period last year. Among the cities that witnessed the most significant rise, three major cities in Gujarat and Mumbai endured over 100 hours of heat stress.
Several other cities, including Visakhapatnam, Puducherry, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Kolkata, and Vijayawada, also recorded over 100 heat stress hours, matching the levels observed in the previous year. The report further categorised heat stress into two categories: humid heat
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