EXTREME HEATWAVE CONDITIONS COUNTRYWIDE CAN TRIGGER FIRE ACCIDENTS TOO

The heat levels across India are already at alarming levels. Heatwave conditions continued to alarm as temperature hovered in the range of 40 to 44 degrees Celsius over most parts of the country on Tuesday, 18th April with Hamirpur and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh sizzling at 44.2 degrees Celsius. The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, at least 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas, and at least 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius.

The meteorological department has issued an 'orange' alert with a warning of severe heatwave conditions for two days from Tuesday in Patna, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Aurangabad, Supaul and several other districts of Bihar.

This will aggravate fire accidents and so the need for safety measures in residential or commercial establishments has proportionately increased. The Tripura government has declared heat wave as a state disaster. The state government has said it was working to ensure there is no power cut during the peak summer season. Heat wave conditions meanwhile, persisted for the third consecutive day in parts of Delhi with some weather stations recording the maximum temperature at least five degrees Celsius above normal. The city saw nine ‘heat wave’ days in April last year, including four in the first 10 days, which was the maximum in the month since 2010. It had recorded a high of 43.5 degrees Celsius on April 28 and April 29 last year. This was the highest maximum temperature in the month of April in Delhi in 12 years.