Approach:

• Describe heat waves in the introduction.
• In the body part, discuss ICAP and its goals.
• Provide way forward as a part of conclusion.

Answer:

A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature. In India, Heat waves typically occur from March to June, and in some rare cases, even extend till July. On an average, five-six heat wave events occur every year over the northern parts of the country.

Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.

In 2019, the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) was launched to provide sustainable cooling measures across various sectors. It includes indoor cooling in buildings, cold chain and refrigeration in the agriculture and pharmaceuticals sector and air-conditioning in passenger transport.

• Its aim is to reduce the demand for cooling by up to 25 per cent by 2037-38.
• Its goal is to phase out the production and use of ozone-depleting hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HFC) by 2047.

Way Forward

• Adopting climate-responsive cooling techniques as a norm in both private and government-funded constructions is required.
• District cooling technologies which generate chilled water in a central plant which is then distributed to multiple buildings via underground insulated pipes. It will lead to the consumption of 20-30% less power.
• Fixing gaps in cold chain distribution networks by investing in pre-cooling and refrigerated transport is recommended.