sSince 1996, India’s general elections – which take place every five years in sequential phases across regions carefully staggered by the Election Commission of India – have been held between April and May. But as this year’s election season quickly approaches, election officials across the country face the challenge of protecting themselves against extreme heat as voters head to the polls later this month.
The preparations come after the India Meteorological Department, or IMD, last week foreseen that most of the country will experience harsh and arid conditions from April to June, with a high probability of “above normal” heat waves lasting 10 to 20 days, rather than the usual period of four to eight days.
Although hot flashes are usually common During India’s hottest months, rising global temperatures due to climate change have made them more frequent and intense, even compared to five years ago when India held its last elections. Over the past century, India’s average annual temperature has increased at a rate of 1.12°F, according to data of the World Bank. 12 of the hottest years in India have occurred since 2006, with 2016 recording the highest temperatures to date.
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Environmental experts are debating whether events such as political rallies and public events should be allowed. They argue that Indian authorities need to take proactive measures so that politicians, activists and voters can avoid the risk of heat exposure while exercising their democratic rights.
“On the one hand, we have large numbers of people at public rallies, engaging in what is a fundamental political right as part of the democratic process,” says Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a member of the New Delhi-based organization Sustainable Futures Collaborative. . “At the same time, it is a very hot summer and there will be some places where the heat is dangerous.”
Which parts of India will see rising temperatures?
IMD data indicated that states voting in the first and second phase of elections, with voting days on April 19 and 26, will be affected by temperatures as high as 104°F. This means that states in northern, western and central India – including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh – are likely to face two to eight days of heatwaves. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, for example, temperatures are already rising to 104°F.
“If we take lessons from the last few years, this is a pan-India phenomenon that affects different parts of the country and affects them differently,” says Pillai.
While the increase in heat is generally concentrated in flat, coastal regions, which are most vulnerable to its impact, experts note that southern mountainous states are also not immune to higher temperatures. In the tribal and hilly state of Odisha, for example, the state’s chief electoral officer, Nikunja Bihari Dhal observed that “ensuring minimal inconvenience to voters and ensuring the well-being of electoral parties represents a significant challenge”.
What kind of preventive measures will authorities take?
In almost all states, political parties are likely to start campaigning through rallies and mass public functions even before voting begins. For this reason, Ronita Bardhan, associate professor at the University of Cambridge, states that “making extreme climate risks transparent to the public is as essential as the importance of voting”.
This means that authorities need to take preventative and adaptive measures to communicate rally times and high temperatures to the public through awareness campaigns, social media and other publicly available channels. “You need to ensure that people have this kind of information at hand, which requires a proactive approach on the part of rally organizers and government officials at different levels in all these different states,” says Pillai.
Last week, the Indian Ministry of Health met with the National Disaster Management Authority to assess how prepared the country was to face heat waves. Both bodies issued warnings with a general list of “dos” and “don’ts” to prevent serious illness or death from heatstroke, including avoiding the sun between noon and 3pm, wearing cotton clothing and ensuring constant rehydration. They also plan to create a central database on heat waves, including collecting data on heatstroke cases and deaths in each state.
The Election Commission has also instructed election officials in each state to raise awareness about the issue of extreme weather conditions and take preventative measures to help voters endure the scorching heat while queuing up to vote, with different states issuing their own individual guidelines.
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Experts add that it is important to have the right infrastructure. “This means having cooling centers and providing shade, and going the extra mile to ensure these arrangements are as thermally comfortable as possible,” Pillai says, as well as making portable water accessible and distributing ORS hydration to voters at cabins.
However, more broadly, these efforts are part of a broader conversation about thermal planning in India – an approach that Pillai stresses must be long-term and sustainable, so that, by election time, “it does not eliminate possibility of a political crisis”. life and prevents democracy.”
Will the heat ultimately affect voter turnout?
Despite the higher temperatures, data from previous elections shows that the heat does not necessarily keep voters away. In fact, national average voter turnout has risen consistently over the years, from just 45.7% in 1957 to a record 67.4% in 2019.
A to study of economists from the University of Kent on climate change and political participation in India, which analyzed Assembly elections between 2008 and 2017, further concluded that although warmer temperatures in the year leading up to state elections generally saw a decline in the number of candidates, there was an increase in electoral participation.
Experts hypothesize that climate effects on agriculture and agriculture may be responsible for the greater share. “High temperature shocks reduce agricultural production, which drives rural citizens to the polls and changes the way they vote – they make agricultural issues more salient and lead them to elect candidates with agricultural backgrounds,” Associate Professor Amrit Amirapu, a of the co-authors. -authors, counted The Indian Express.
And sustained participation makes preventative measures even more crucial.
“The best thing to do is [to] we have built very strong protective barriers that protect people’s health as they engage in the democratic process,” says Pillai.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
