Even healthy humans cannot survive a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C for more than a few hours. Being outside when it reaches 32°C is exceedingly harmful
, a state in western India, dehydrated birds fall from the sky. In Punjab, in the north, withering crops have led to farmer suicides. In much of India,. But it is not just the heat that causes problems. Cooler but muggier parts of the country, such as Chennai and other cities on the east coast, face the greatest threat.
That is because human vulnerability to heat depends on humidity. Evaporating sweat cools the skin, but in humid places it does so less effectively. High levels of heat and humidity— the combination of which is measured through the, or that which is recorded by a thermometer wrapped in a moist towel—can be deadly. Even healthy humans cannot survive a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C for more than a few hours. Being outside when it reaches 32°C is exceedingly harmful.
Research suggests that eastern coastal and north-western India register some of the highest wet-bulb temperatures in the world. In 2020 Kolkata, near the east coast, experienced several days when the wet-bulb temperature exceeded 31°C. Ahmedabad, in the west, has also breached that mark. Delhi’s climate may be dryer but it is not immune. In July 2018, the wet-bulb temperature there touched 32°C.
Chennai’s response includes both short-term measures and long-term . Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked states to beef up their response mechanisms, such as regular hospital fire safety audits. But local efforts can only go so far. Unless global greenhouse-gas emissions are cut, horrendous temperatures will become more common.
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