ABOUT 57 percent of Indian districts, home to 76 per cent of India’s total population, are currently at‘high’ to‘very high’ heat risk, according to a new study. According to the study published onTuesday by Delhi-based climate and energy think-tank Councilon Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), the 10 states and Union Territories with the highest heat risk include Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

 

It also found that the number of very warm nights has increased faster than that of very hot days in the last decade. Very warm nights and very hot daysaredefinedasperiodswhen minimum and maximum temperatures rise above the95th percentile threshold, i.E., what was normal for95percentof the time in the past. As part of the study, CEEW researchers developed a Heat Risk Index (HRI) for 734 districts, using 40 years of climate data (1982-2022) and satelliteimages to study heat trends, land use, water bodies and green cover. They also included data on population,buildings,healthand socio-economic factors, along with night temperatures and humidity, for a comprehensive picture of heat risk.