Infants, elders exposed to more heatwave days: Report

Heat stress was hightest for about 100 days in 2023. PIC/ASHISH RAJE

In India, over the last decade, infants and adults aged 65 or above were exposed to about eight heatwave days each year on average, an increase of 47 per cent for infants and 58 per cent for older adults, compared to 1990-1999, according to a new report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.

In 2023 alone, people in India were found to be exposed to a moderate or higher risk of heat stress for about 2,400 hours or 100 days, while performing light outdoor activities such as walking, the eighth annual report, reflecting the work of 122 experts from 57 academic institutions and UN agencies globally, including the WHO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), found.

Overall, in 2023, about 181 billion labour hours were potentially lost due to exposure to heat in India - an increase of 50 per cent from those lost during 1990-1999.

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