India Braces for Extreme Weather: Heat Wave Expected During April-June, Coinciding with Lok Sabha Polls

India Braces for Extreme Weather: "It's going to be extremely challenging for us all," Kiren Rijiju told a press conference on Monday after the IMD predicted extreme heat for India from April through June. India needs to prepare in advance because we're the most populous country in the world and face extreme weather conditions."

According to the IMD, most parts of the country will have high maximum temperatures for April 2024. Due to the extreme weather and Lok Sabha elections, Kiren Rijiju urged stakeholders to take precautions.

Most parts of the country could experience "10 to 20 days of heatwave conditions, compared to the usual four to eight days".

In a press conference, the minister said India, the world's most populous country and one that faces extreme weather conditions, should be prepared.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD's director general, told PTI that above-normal temperatures are likely in most parts of the country in April-June, with a greater chance in the center and west.

Heatwaves are most likely to hit Gujarat, central Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, north Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju told news agency ANI, “According to our projections, a huge region of the country is going to be affected with heatwave including states like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Since there are Lok Sabha elections in the next few days, we have taken precautions for the heatwave. We had a two-day meeting with State governments regarding preparations and issued an advisory for the same.”

There will be seven phases of Lok Sabha elections in India between April 19 and June 1.

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