Humid heat days rising in Lucknow, reshaping heat risk across Indo-Gangetic plains

Lucknow is witnessing a growing number of days when high temperatures combine with high humidity to create severe heat stress with experts warning that the trend could significantly increase health risks in the Uttar Pradesh capitalA report published in the journal Nature has projected that under highemission scenarios heatrelated excess deaths in Lucknow could rise by around 50 per cent by 2050 potentially resulting in about 4000 heatrelated deaths annually when the citys projected urban expansion is taken into accountFormer India Meteorological Department IMD director general K J Ramesh said global warming was increasing not only temperatures but also moisture levels particularly across the IndoGangetic plainsLucknow is situated in the middle of the IndoGangetic plains Its low elevation and basinlike geographical setting allow moisture to remain trapped when air circulation is weak High humidity intensifies the impact of heat and increases health risks particularly respiratory and heatrelated illnesses he saidAn analysis by think tank Climate Trends found that Lucknow recorded 289 days of heat and severe humidity between 2015 and 2024 with maximum temperatures of at least 35 degrees Celsius and humidity of 60 per cent or moreThe number of such days increased from 123 during 201519 to 166 during 202024 Lucknow recorded the highest number in 2020 with 45 days of intense heat and humidityThe analysis attributed the trend to rising moisture levels linked to climate change as well as the citys rapid and largely unplanned expansion which intensifies local temperatures through the urban heat island effectSenior environmental scientist Seema Javed said high humidity reduces the bodys ability to cool itself through sweating increasing the risk of heat stroke even when temperatures are lower than during extremely hot daysPeople need to understand that summers are no longer what they used to be Javed said calling for changes in government policies governing working conditions for labourers and workers as well as broader social measures to protect people from humid heatThe analysis also found a persistent rise in hot nights Lucknow recorded 126 such nights in 2024 compared with 124 in 2015 and 128 in 2016 Even in 2018 the number stood at 93Abhiyan Tiwari head of climate resilience and health at NRDC India said the 35 per cent increase in hot and humid days between 201519 and 202024 was particularly concerningHigh humidity prevents sweat from evaporating reducing the bodys natural cooling while warmer nights make it harder for the body to recover from daytime heat he saidThe report said humid heat was also affecting labour productivity with around 20 per cent of annual working hours exposed to unsafe heatstress conditions when Wet Bulb Globe Temperature WBGT crosses 30 degrees CelsiusUnder higheremission scenarios this share could rise to 3040 per cent resulting in substantial productivity losses and billions of dollars in annual economic damage it saidThis 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 whatsoever