According to Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department, most areas of central, eastern, and northwestern states of India are expected to experience heat waves during the three-month summer season. This is due to climate change, which is increasing global temperatures and worsening the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The power ministry predicts that peak electricity demand will climb to a new record in April as people turn to air conditioners to find reprieve from the heat waves.
Diesel consumption also rises during the summer as it encourages people to travel to cooler mountains from plains, and the use of diesel-fueled backup generators increases to make up for shortages from the grid. The weather office predicts that longer-than-normal heat waves are expected in parts of several Indian states in April, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh. The number of Indian states hit by heat waves since 2015 more According to the weather office, most areas of central, eastern, and northwestern states of India are likely to experience heat waves during the three-month summer season. Specifically, for the month of April, longer-than-normal heat waves are expected in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh. The number of Indian states hit by heat waves has more than doubled to 23 since 2015, according to reports. The country defines a heat wave as a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the hot weather season.
