The country is going to witness spike in temperatures during the 'carnival of democracy' as India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted rise in temperatures during the Lok Sabha poll season.
IMD has predicted longer number of heatwave days this summer in several parts of the country. The longer number of heatwave days IMD said would be in central, north and southern parts of the country this summer.
Director-General IMD Mrutyunjay Mohapatra in a presser said, the maximum temperature between April and June is likely to remain above normal.
The IMD said two to eight days of heatwave is expected in many areas of central India, northern plains, and south India. The MeT department identified Gujarat, Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and west Madhya Pradesh.
It added twenty-three states have prepared action plans to meet any situation owing to the heatwave.
The IMD said above-normal temperature is likely to persist over central India and western peninsular India.
“The poor will face the biggest impact of the heat wave”, the IMD said.
The heat waves pose significant risks, especially for vulnerable people such as the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The IMD asked the authorities to take proactive measures as prolonged periods of extreme heat can lead to strain on infrastructure such as power grids and transportation systems.
"To address these challenges, it is imperative for authorities to take proactive measures," the IMD said.
It added: "This includes providing access to cooling centres, issuing heat advisories, and implementing strategies to alleviate urban heat island effects in affected areas.”
Meanwhile, on the heatwave predictions this summer, Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju as per ANI said: "According to our projections, a huge region of the country is going to be affected with heatwave including states like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Since there are Lok Sabha elections in the next few days, we have taken precautions for the heatwave.”
He added: “We had a two-day meeting with State governments regarding preparations and issued an advisory for the same..."
