India's scorcher: What's behind the heat wave and when will it end?

[Gibbs]

To add to my point about unplanned concrete structures.. In the thread that MODS decide to close for reasons best known to them.. @AugenBlick

Indian summer: What's behind heat and when will it end? - CNN.com

People sleeping on roofs to escape the heat.. Notice the roofs of all these dwellings are concrete.. The heat gets trapped inside.. Making things worse and in the evenings it dissapates making the surrounding ares hot as well so people get no respite even in the cooler evening like in the villages.. And the density in Indian cities there are little or no space between these building, And the total lack of trees or greenery

 

[gslv]

To add to my point about unplanned concrete structures.. In the thread that MODS decide to close for reasons best known to them.. @AugenBlick

Indian summer: What's behind heat and when will it end? - CNN.com

People sleeping on roofs to escape the heat.. Notice the roofs of all these dwellings are concrete.. The heat gets trapped inside.. Making things worse and in the evenings it dissapates making the surrounding ares hot as well so people get no respite even in the cooler evening like in the villages.. And the density in Indian cities there are little or no space between these building, And the total lack of trees or greenery

there should be a law stipulating the percentage of land a house can built upon , it should be around 60% . the rest should be made garden , not garage/parking spot . and i dont think it can happen anytime soon just bcoz land cost is too high in India . also there should be a green belt for 1 km long for every 3-5 km of housing. govt need to buckle up and do something that is need of the hour.
Another thing is pollution due to personal vehicles , well India being a democracy cannot restrict number of vehicles a person can buy , but we can atleast make the SUV pay a charge that should be very high. and make cars abide by a very stringent pollution limit. Ban every vehicle that is over 15 yrs old and make public transport affordable . there should be phase wise replacement of bus/other public transport like autos and taxis by hydrogen fuel cells and i believe in a state like Delhi its easily doable , just make hydrogen fuel available and ban new purchase of CNG vehicles . People will argue that CNG is not that polluting , but still it adds greenhouse gas into atmosphere and in a tiny area like Delhi having a lot of vehicle just adds to the problem. delhi has 17% personal vehicles even though its a tiny area.

 

[Gibbs]

there should be a law stipulating the percentage of land a house can built upon , it should be around 60% . the rest should be made garden , not garage/parking spot . and i dont think it can happen anytime soon just bcoz land cost is too high in India . also there should be a green belt for 1 km long for every 3-5 km of housing. govt need to buckle up and do something that is need of the hour.
Another thing is pollution due to personal vehicles , well India being a democracy cannot restrict number of vehicles a person can buy , but we can atleast make the SUV pay a charge that should be very high. and make cars abide by a very stringent pollution limit. Ban every vehicle that is over 15 yrs old and make public transport affordable . there should be phase wise replacement of bus/other public transport like autos and taxis by hydrogen fuel cells and i believe in a state like Delhi its easily doable , just make hydrogen fuel available and ban new purchase of CNG vehicles . People will argue that CNG is not that polluting , but still it adds greenhouse gas into atmosphere and in a tiny area like Delhi having a lot of vehicle just adds to the problem. delhi has 17% personal vehicles even though its a tiny area.

Regarding the first point you made.. The issue there again is the issue with density and scarce land to implement building restrictions greenery etc.. I empathize with you on that India's population is it's boon and it's bane

On the second issue i think it's the lack of will.. Indian authorities have enough capital to invest on renewable fuel.. Starting with public transport.. The Delhi metro have done wonders in that aspect.. Whey can also implement that on buses and taxi's as well.. I bet 80% of Indians use public transport, So unlike developed countries where private vehicle ownership is high.. Countries like India can actually make a huge change in respect of clean public transport and it's effects

 

[Shotgunner51]

To add to my point about unplanned concrete structures.. In the thread that MODS decide to close for reasons best known to them.. @AugenBlick

Indian summer: What's behind heat and when will it end? - CNN.com

People sleeping on roofs to escape the heat.. Notice the roofs of all these dwellings are concrete.. The heat gets trapped inside.. Making things worse and in the evenings it dissapates making the surrounding ares hot as well so people get no respite even in the cooler evening like in the villages.. And the density in Indian cities there are little or no space between these building, And the total lack of trees or greenery

Heard that over a thousand people were killed by the heat in just a week?
More than 1,800 killed as Deadly Heat Wave Persists Across India

Yes, proper urban planning can help ease the problem but that's a long term and massive exercise. In the short run, use air conditioners.

How many AC systems were sold last year? Seems like lots of people need that. If purchasing power is a problem, maybe government-led fiscal stimulus package (on boosting demand and/or supply) can help popularize AC systems, it's people's survival on the line.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Heard that over a thousand people were killed by the heat in just a week?

Yes, proper urban planning can help ease the problem but that's a long term and massive exercise. In the short run, use air conditioners.

How many AC systems were sold last year? Seems like lots of people need that. If purchasing power is a problem, maybe government-led fiscal stimulus can help popularize AC systems, it's people's survival on the line.

That's what we do in HK, all the buildings have air conditioning.

It's a quicker solution than changing urban planning layouts for sure, but the electricity usage will be very high. I think India has electricity problems right now, mostly due to electricity theft issues and problems with transmission.

 

[The Great One]

Given the OP, I don't know if its trolling or not, but shit happens
European heatwave caused 35,000 deaths - 10 October 2003 - New Scientist
All in the August of 2003.

It is a natural phenomena.

 

[Quibbler]

there should be a law stipulating the percentage of land a house can built upon , it should be around 60% .

There is . It is 75 %. And it is very much implemented in planned colonies . Unplanned colonies , illegal colonies and slums are the defaulters. ( Talking about delhi )

How many AC systems were sold last year? Seems like lots of people need that. If purchasing power is a problem, maybe government-led fiscal stimulus package (on boosting demand and/or supply) can help popularize AC systems, it's people's survival on the line.

AC is more of a luxury item in India and a subsidy on it seems almost laughable . Not to mention they cause high pollution (CFCs) and are really power intensive. So the above is just not a viable solution.

 

[gslv]

There is . It is 75 %. And it is very much implemented in planned colonies . Unplanned colonies , illegal colonies and slums are the defaulters. ( Talking about delhi )

well whats the point of making a law if eventually we succumb to political pressure and make the illegal to legal. Kejriwal and his ilk are going to make slums legal.

 

[Donatello]

El Nino is here, people.

 

[gslv]

That's what we do in HK, all the buildings have air conditioning.

It's a quicker solution than changing urban planning layouts for sure, but the electricity usage will be very high. I think India has electricity problems right now, mostly due to electricity theft issues and problems with transmission.

thats aint a solution , those who can afford ACs have already got one, in my house there are 2 , the point is 90% cannot afford . and avg house bill per AC running at 8hrs per day comes at 1500 rs in my state and for many its damn high to spend alone on electricity and in most parts of India if you have AC you just cannot stop using it . And at present India is energy surplus due to energy production ramped up due to coal block auction and other factors.
about the electricity theft issue , thats indeed a problem, adding up to the problem due to outrageous 40-50% transmission loss.
we need revamping of everything.

 

[Echo_419]

That's what we do in HK, all the buildings have air conditioning.

It's a quicker solution than changing urban planning layouts for sure, but the electricity usage will be very high. I think India has electricity problems right now, mostly due to electricity theft issues and problems with transmission.

Exactly Power theft,T&D losses are one of the main reasons for lack of electricity becuz if you look at power generation capacity added every year you will know that we need to invest more in T&D,just last year a record 22,500MW of electricity capacity was added

El Nino is here, people.

Nope Aaj barish hui this achi Delhi mein so no el Nino Shino

 

[Shotgunner51]

That's what we do in HK, all the buildings have air conditioning.

It's a quicker solution than changing urban planning layouts for sure, but the electricity usage will be very high. I think India has electricity problems right now, mostly due to electricity theft issues and problems with transmission.

Same here in Shanghai, AC everywhere, not a problem.

Heard about the electricity transmission problem, there are ways to solve it. Check the other thread about it.

AC is more of a luxury item in India and a subsidy on it seems almost laughable . Not to mention they cause high pollution (CFCs) and are really power intensive. So the above is just not a viable solution.

The retail price for a home AC ranges from 1,800~9,000 yuan ($300~1,500 depending on specs) that's about the same as a smartphone, or a TV set. In 2014 just the top five AC manufacturers sales in China were: GREE 140 billion yuan (YOY Growth 16.6%), Midea 72.7 billion (16.9%), Haier 20 billion (11.6%), HiSense 11.3 billion (22.8%), Chigo 8.3 billion (0.9%). Both price and volume show that AC is a mass market of durable goods, a standard home appliance, not luxury item.

Regarding the pollution, as in other matured markets, set proper regulations and let the industry handle it. It's not an issue as long as the regulations aren't too loose to allow pollution, or too tight to kill the industry.

Electricity is not a problem, it's a pre-condition for AC popularity. Increase generation capacity, and optimize the grid.

 

[Gibbs]

Heard that over a thousand people were killed by the heat in just a week?
More than 1,800 killed as Deadly Heat Wave Persists Across India

Yes, proper urban planning can help ease the problem but that's a long term and massive exercise. In the short run, use air conditioners.

How many AC systems were sold last year? Seems like lots of people need that. If purchasing power is a problem, maybe government-led fiscal stimulus package (on boosting demand and/or supply) can help popularize AC systems, it's people's survival on the line.

On the contrary it wont be a solution but added cause for global warming

For one unlike East Asia A/C's are a luxury item for majority of Indians.. Those who can afford it already has them

Two Both India and Pakistan suffer from power shortfalls with frequent load shedding and power cuts during the dry seasons

Three A/C's consume high amount of electricity and that will not help the cause with already power in short supply

Four CFC emissions contribute to more global warming and high toxins.. So thats even more damaging

 

[ifesvr]

People who are dying in the heat wave are those who work as outside vendors, or travel a lot. They are not dying because they don't have an AC at home!!! The solution is to have covered hawkers' zone for these people and shades at major stations and bus stops. As simple as that

 

[AndrewJin]

My city Wuhan is one of the three major furnaces(the other 2 are Nanjing and Chongqing), notorious for her long summer. It's not a problem for the majority to buy and use A/C, I myself have four, 3 small in bedrooms and one big in the living room. For the extremely poor people here, some good policies in Wuhan I think provide a reference to you.

1, We have more than one thousand free 纳凉点(literally enjoy coolness place), public A/C rooms with free drinks, fruits, entertainment facilities. Every summer, half a million people will spend some time in 纳凉点, including migrant workers, elderly who live alone and those who cannot afford A/C. One community must ensure at least one such place.
2, subsidy to the poor on A/C and more importantly electricity (well, this must be very controversial)
3, If the temperature is higher than 40 degree, stop any outdoor work. Lower than 40 but higher than 37, avoid outdoor work between 12am to 3pm. Lower than 37 but higher than 35, shorten work time.
4, additional salary. When the temperature is above 35 degree celsius, at least additional 12yuan(124 rupees) per day as compensation.
etc.

one public 纳凉点 in the community