Indian voters battle extreme temperatures as intense heat wave hits region. Authorities forecast a hotter-than-normal summer for the South Asian nation.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the heatwave will persist across southern and eastern India through the end of the week, affecting voters in four states casting their ballots this Friday. In the second phase of the nationwide elections, states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka are seeing temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
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Extreme temperatures hits region
On Thursday (25th April 2024), the mercury climbed to 43.6 C (110.4 F) in Baripada, Odisha, and 43.4 C (110.1 F) in Khammam, Telangana. The IMD has issued warnings that the country should brace for longer and more severe heatwaves this year due to unusually high temperatures. Gandhi Ray, a farmer in his 60s from Bihar, mentioned the daily struggle against the heat. “It’s crucial for me to vote, but the increasing heat makes it challenging,” he told Changemakr Asia. Gandhi, who resides in a forest hut, plans to walk to a nearby village to cast his vote under a forecast of continuous high temperatures.
This election cycle, rising temperatures have stirred concerns, especially as large campaign rallies often held outdoors expose thousands to the risk of heat-related illnesses. This risk was highlighted when a lawmaker collapsed while addressing his supporters in Maharashtra due to heat exhaustion.
In response, the Election Commission, the National Disaster Management Authority, and the IMD have established a task force aimed at mitigating the impact of heatwaves on polling days. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently convened a meeting to assess the nation’s readiness for the hot months ahead.
Scorching Heat During World’s Largest Election
India, home to 1.4 billion people, typically faces heatwaves during May and June. However, recent patterns have seen these hot periods start earlier and stretch longer, a phenomenon scientists attribute to climate change. In 2022, a heatwave that claimed 90 lives in India and Pakistan was found to be 30 times more likely because of global warming, according to the World Weather Attribution initiative.
The harsh weather continued into 2023, with successive heatwaves causing school closures, crop damage, and straining energy resources. In June alone, temperatures in parts of India peaked at 47 C (116 F), resulting in at least 44 deaths and hundreds of cases of heat-related sickness.
The climate crisis, driven by human activity, is severely jeopardizing India’s developmental goals and placing millions at risk in a country where agriculture employs over half of the workforce. According to recent studies, by the year 2050, parts of India will experience temperatures that surpass human survivability thresholds, climate experts warn.
Despite these critical concerns, climate change has not emerged as a central issue in the current election cycle. Although it has been addressed in the election manifestos of both major parties—the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress—its presence in political debates remains minimal.
Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a fellow and coordinator for adaptation and resilience at the Sustainable Futures Collaborative in New Delhi, notes that while climate issues directly influence voter concerns, they manifest more as worries about livelihood and the need for robust welfare support rather than as explicit climate policy demands. “The impact of climate is seen in the demands of farmers for loan waivers and better irrigation facilities after enduring prolonged droughts. Similarly, urban families are advocating for lower electricity prices to manage the cost of cooling, and there is a widespread call for more comprehensive social welfare measures,” Pillai explains.
This nuanced interplay of climate-related issues highlights the complexity of integrating specific environmental policies into broader political and social discussions within India.
Intense Heat Waves Take a Toll Across Southeast Asia
The year has brought little respite from the severe heat and humidity that affects hundreds of millions living in the most climate-vulnerable regions of Southeast Asia. In Bangladesh, residents are enduring a brutal heatwave, with temperatures consistently above 40°C in many districts and stiflingly hot nights setting new temperature records, according to climatologist Maximiliano Herrera. In response, the Bangladeshi government has issued a 72-hour “heat alert” nationwide.
The scorching temperatures are taking a toll across the broader region as well. Local media in Thailand report dozens of deaths due to heatstroke, while in the Philippines, hundreds of schools have shut their doors to protect students. In Vietnam, drought conditions are devastating the Mekong Delta’s pivotal “rice bowl” area, prompting three provinces to declare states of emergency as saltwater intrusion compromises fresh water resources, impacting over 70,000 households. This dire situation has prompted action from organizations like Save the Children.
Further highlighting the region’s vulnerability, a recent World Meteorological Organization report identified Asia as the most disaster-prone area globally in 2023, noting that it is warming at a rate surpassing the global average.
Lead image courtesy of Nikhil Patil from Getty Images.
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