Health implications of climate crisis in India

Doctors at the Gorakhpur All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are a worried lot. The number of hydroa vacciniforme patients is increasing each passing day. This skin disease is caused by exposure to strong sun. Usually, it is reported from people living in the desert where the sun is harsh all year round. Gorakhpur is in the terai (Himalayan foothills) of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The signal is clear, human skin is progressively unable to bear the extreme heat of the sun.

The doctors at AIIMS Gorakhpur have extensively analysed patients’ data for the days between April and August 2024. They found that between April and August 2024, there were 39 days when the day temperature crossed 40 degrees. However, the AIIMS data show that Gorakhpur and adjoining areas experienced temperatures above 40 degrees for just six days in 2021. This year’s forecast suggests a record-breaking heatwave. Gorakhpur is not an exception in eastern UP that’s reporting extreme conditions.

Skin disorders aren’t the only ailments affecting the population. Vector-borne diseases are also breaking records due to rising temperatures. Reports suggest a spike in dengue: In 2023, there was a record number of infections. This year, more than five million people visited hospitals due to problems caused by vector-borne diseases.

Recently, Global Climate & Health Alliance’s executive director Jenny Miller stated that 40,000 people in India alone suffered from heat strokes, resulting in the death of 700 people, in 2024. Clearly, the detrimental effects of rising temperatures are showing a consistent upward trend. Researchers studying the impact of the climate crisis on humans at Lancet Countdown have found that 10 out of the 15 parameters in the study are showing signs of disturbing distress.

Let me share a personal experience. On December 23 last year, I was in the beautiful Harsil valley in Uttarakhand with my family. In the afternoon, there was a snowfall, which lasted for 10 hours. The roads were covered with a thick layer of fresh snow and traffic had to be suspended. Residents said early snowfall suggested ample snow in winter. However, the season was unusually warm. On January 26, the temperature in Delhi was 23.9 degrees. Delhi and the northern plains of India experience severe cold and fog conditions during this time.

In the south, Bengaluru had a similar climate shock. Temperatures touched 35 degrees in February, which is unheard of. The country’s financial capital, Mumbai, too suffered from heat early this year. Temperatures rose to 38 degrees and warm winds created discomfort.

The climate crisis is also affecting the seas and oceans. Sea levels are rising across the globe. Glaciers are retreating and the seas are warming. Some fear that cities such as Mumbai, Karachi, Dhaka and many more coastal towns will see sea ingress in the coming decades. We shouldn’t forget that close to 10% of the global population lives in places that are not even five metres above the high tide line in coastal areas. If the situation keeps deteriorating, close to 100 million people will have to relocate. The world is already feeling the stress of migration due to reasons other than the climate crisis.

What’s the solution to this pressing problem?

Some of the steps taken to mitigate the menace have been partially successful. The decline in the water table in UP and Bihar has been arrested; in many places, it has been reversed.

We must set ambitious goals and strictly implement and monitor new schemes and plans. Many countries have bestowed legal personhood on rivers to conserve them. This means those who pollute the rivers are tried under the same legal clauses meant for bodily harm caused to humans. We need to be strict while dealing with the factors that cause environmental damage. Our politicians and civil society leaders must move in this direction with sincerity and purpose.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal