Extreme temperature caused at least 35,000 deaths in India from 2001-2019: Study

At least 35000 lives were lost in India due to exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures between 2001 and 2019 a new study has foundIn 2015 alone it estimated 1907 deaths due to a heatstroke and 1147 because of cold exposure Data for analysis was taken from the India Meteorological Department and National Crime Records Bureau among other datasetsFindings published in the journal Temperature show an upwardmoving increasing trend in deaths due to a heatstroke and exposure to cold temperaturesLead author Pradeep Guin from O P Jindal Global University Haryana said that deaths due to exposure to extreme temperatures are avoidable and that measures to mitigate health impacts need to be put in placeWith an intense heatwave forecast to hit most of the country this summer and extreme weather events becoming more frequent around the globe as the world warms there is no time to be lost in raising awareness about the dangers of extreme temperatures and putting in place measures to reduce their impact Guin saidHe added Support systems exist but more needs to be doneDeaths due to extreme temperatures were found to be more common among men of working ageDuring the study period of 20012019 deaths due to extreme heat were three to five times higher among men while those due to extreme cold were four to seven times higher compared to women the researchers saidStatewise Andhra Pradesh Uttar Pradesh and Punjab were found to record the most deaths due to a heatstroke whereas the most deaths due to exposure to extreme cold came from Uttar Pradesh Punjab and BiharThe authors wrote Between 2001 and 2019 India reported 19693 and 15197 deaths due to heatstroke and cold exposure respectivelyGuin said Deaths due to heatstroke is more significant compared to deaths due to cold exposure albeit recording an upward trendCoauthor Nandita Bhan from the school of public health and human development at O P Jindal Global University said the results highlight the urgent need of heat and cold action plans for vulnerable statesSeveral states in India are developing heat action plans that can provide relief through innovative built environment initiatives and these need study as well as scaleup including expanding cold action plans across more vulnerable states Bhan saidPrevious studies have largely looked at health impacts of extreme temperatures in developed countries and oneoff events such as a heatwave rather than looking at low and middleincome countries the researchers saidThey added that with India experiencing temperature extremes each year it is important to know places most at risk which can help in designing measures to keep population safeA recently published study in the journal Nature Communications showed that rapid flips in temperatures a switch between hot and cold extremes in a relatively short time have increased in 60 per cent of the worlds areas over the past 60 yearsIt said that because of the limited time available to adapt to temperature changes these flips could magnify the negative effects of hot and cold extremes on societies and nature impacting humans and animals infrastructure and agricultureThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params