21 Feb 2023 • India is already preparing for excessive heat waves due to the high February temperatures. Last year, the first heat wave alarm of the year was issued by Indian meteorologists in March, signalling the start of an unusually early summer that brought with it some of the most intense temperatures in India's recorded history. They are raising the alarm even earlier this year. Experts are concerned about the unusual temperatures because they claim that India's spring season is dangerously dwindling. “This country usually sees heat waves between April 1 and June 30,” Srivastava said. “But we are already seeing electricity demand up and labor productivity is already decreasing. We will see more illnesses from moving straight from winter to summer.” said Anup Kumar Srivastava, a consultant with the National Disaster Management Authority. The head of the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gujarat, Dileep Mavalankar, who played a key role in some of India's early heat action plans, believes that the planning stages need to be initiated considerably earlier. Mavalankar added that because the nation's data on deaths caused by heat are sparse, states must assess mortality rates against those from prior years. Doctors are advised to be prepared to tackle health-related illness and hospitals should have the availability of adequate quantities of essential medicines, I.V. fluids, ice packs, ORS and all necessary equipment.

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