The heat wave is playing havoc with humans and other life forms across India. I can even impact all your development plans. The power demand touched at its seasonal high at 237 gigawatts (GW), surpassing the previous record of 234 GW earlier in the current week. This is authentic as the Ministry of Power discloses the figures. Since it’s too hot ranging between 47 to 49.8 degrees Celsius in most parts, the use of power gadgets like Air conditioners and water coolers, etc. are on a constant rise. Can we sustain this pressure, more so if this phenomenon recurs? India needs to plan for the worst-case scenario too. First of all the usage of solar and other non-conventional energy resources at the household level has to become a mass movement. It will not only lessen the burden on government to produce more energy, it will also produce green energy and thereby contribute to taking actions to mitigate the impact of global warming. Moreover it will save India precious foreign exchange.
However, the government has to tweak policies on housing to make solar and wind energy harvesting compulsory or have terrace gardens to cultivate food items that will also cool the house naturally. Especially school buildings and offices should be naturally cooled. The government can bring in rules or maybe the law can be amended to make the use of traditional cooling designs and construction materials mandatory for constructing certain buildings. India must go green locally as soon as possible otherwise our growth story can go wary due to climate change. Add to this the cost of healthcare as people suffer sunstrokes, intestinal infections, dehydration, etc. This comes to a whooping cost that can dent our economy in the long run.