Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Concrete fever: On India and heat management

Concrete fever: On India and heat management

India must mandate (अनिवार्य करना, आदेश देना) green cover (हरित आवरण, हरियाली) and reflective materials for its cities

Sri Ganganagar, in Rajasthan touched (to reach a particular level or amount; reach, attain, rise to, hit) 48° Celsius this week, the hottest (सबसे अधिक गर्म, अत्यधिक तप्त) that India has been this year so far (अभी तक). Scorching (झुलसा देने वाला, अत्यंत गर्म) summer heat (ग्रीष्मकालीन गर्मी, गर्मी की तपिश) in the run-up (the period of time leading up to an important event; prelude, lead-up, preliminary) to the monsoon, which is delayed, is not unusual, but many Indians in the informal sector (असंगठित क्षेत्र) have to work directly under the sun (outdoors in the direct sunlight, exposed to the heat of the sun; in broad daylight, out in the open) in unprotected (असुरक्षित, बिना संरक्षण वाला) environments (पर्यावरण, परिवेश). Climate change (जलवायु परिवर्तन) is inextricably (in a manner that is impossible to disentangle or separate; inseparably, indivisibly, essentially) linked to heatwaves. India Meteorological Department (भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग) data show that the frequency (आवृत्ति, बारंबारता) of heatwave spells (अवधि, दौर) has risen by 0.1 days per decade (दशक) since 1961 over India’s Core Heatwave Zone (a geographical area designated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), stretching across central, northern, and peninsular India, which is highly prone to severe and frequent heatwaves annually) that includes the central, northwestern, and eastern coastal regions (an area of land located near a sea or ocean; coastline, seaside, shore), or about 30% of India’s total land area. Their maximum duration has increased by 0.55 days per decade; and the 2015-25 interval is, according to (as stated by, as reported by; in accordance with, on the authority of) the World Meteorological Organization (a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology, and geophysics), the warmest (having the highest temperature compared to others in a record or group; hottest, most scorching, most blistering) 11-year stretch (a continuous period of time; spell, period, duration, phase) since records began. But the emissions (the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation, into the atmosphere; discharge, release, outpouring, outflux) that produced these numbers are only the proximate (closest in relationship, immediate; nearest, close, primary, direct) villain (culprit, cause, offender, troublemaker). What makes India’s heat uniquely (exceptionally, distinctively, exclusively) lethal (fatal, deadly, mortal, life-threatening) is not the atmosphere alone. Urban heat islands (an urban area that experiences significantly higher temperatures than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities and dense buildings) across Indian cities now run 2°C to 10°C hotter than their surrounding rural areas, the difference (distinction, variation, contrast, divergence) manufactured (to produce or create something artificially; produce, create, generate, make) by concrete (cement, mortar), asphalt (bitumen, blacktop, tarmac), the butchering (the act of indiscriminately cutting down or destroying; massacre, slaughter, decimation, ruining) of tree cover, and the waste heat (the heat generated by human activities, machines, or industrial processes that is released into the environment without being utilized; residual heat, exhaust heat, unutilized heat) exhaled (to give off or discharge (vapor, heat, or smoke); release, emit, let out, discharge) by the thousands of air-conditioners cooling offices. Delhi’s average humidity (the amount of water vapour in the air; dampness, moisture, clamminess) rose by eight percentage points (the difference between two percentages; a unit of measure used to express the arithmetic difference of two percentages) between 2015-19 and 2020-24. This has a lot to do with an increasingly (to an increasing extent; more and more, progressively, continuously) sealed (closed securely to prevent the passage of air or water, often referring to concreted surfaces lacking natural absorption; enclosed, impermeable, airtight) urban surface than global warming (an increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere; climate change) alone. This is where the seduction (something that tempts or attracts strongly; temptation, attraction, lure, draw) of the technological fix (an innovation or machine-based solution aimed at solving a problem that may have deeper social or environmental causes; quick fix, technical solution, engineered remedy) becomes dangerous with the instinct (an innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour or natural tendency in response to certain stimuli; urge, impulse, intuition, inclination) being to reach for (grasp at, aim for, go for, resort to) more, better and cheaper ACs. This might shield (protect, guard, defend, keep safe) the privileged (having special rights, advantages, or immunities; wealthy, affluent, favoured, elite) office worker at the expense of (at the cost of, at the sacrifice of, at the loss of, to the detriment of) the vast majority, many of whom are outdoor workers and street vendors. Paradoxically (in a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory way; surprisingly, ironically, unexpectedly, incongruously), the machines are, in a thermodynamic (relating to the physics of heat and its relation to other forms of energy; thermal, heat-related, energy-related) sense (a way in which an expression or a situation can be interpreted; meaning, understanding, interpretation, perspective), fuelling (stimulate, boost, intensify, aggravate) the problem.

What is called for instead (as an alternative or substitute; alternatively, as a replacement, rather, in place of) is unglamorous (not attractive or exciting; dull, ordinary, mundane, plain), slow and politically difficult: urban design (city planning, town planning) that mandates reflective materials and green cover, building codes (a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures; construction standard, architectural regulation, building regulation) calibrated (to carefully assess, adjust, or tailor something to a particular situation or standard; adjust, tailor, modify, attune) to a climate that has already shifted; (change, alter, adjust) and, most urgently (critically, pressing, desperately, crucially), the enforcement (the act of compelling observance of or compliance with a law, rule, or obligation; imposition, implementation, execution, application) of labour laws (a body of rules regulating the relations between employers and employees; employment law, worker protection law, workplace regulation) that already exist but are honoured (to fulfill an obligation or keep an agreement; observe, follow, obey, abide by) largely in the breach (frequently ignored, violated, or broken rather than obeyed (from the idiom “more honoured in the breach than in the observance”); disregarded, violated, neglected, overlooked). These laws require employers to stop outdoor work when the heat index (a measure indicating the level of discomfort the average person is thought to experience as a result of the combined effects of the temperature and humidity of the air) crosses (exceed, surpass, breach, transcend) thresholds (the level or point at which something starts to happen or change; limit, boundary, starting point, brink) that human physiology (the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans, specifically referring to the body’s biological ability to cope with extremes; bodily function, biological makeup, physical endurance) cannot safely absorb (to take in or endure a shock, heat, or impact; withstand, handle, bear, take in). India has not yet (up until the present or a specified or implied time; thus far, so far, until now) had a serious (significant, thoughtful) national conversation (a widespread discussion, debate, or exchange of ideas involving the general public, experts, and policymakers across an entire country regarding an issue of significant importance; nationwide discussion, public discourse, national debate, societal dialogue) about budget heads for heat management.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.heat management (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ताप प्रबंधन, गर्मी नियंत्रण
English Meaning - the systemic approaches and strategies designed to mitigate, adapt to, and handle extreme temperatures in populated areas; temperature control, thermal regulation, heat mitigation.

2.mandate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अनिवार्य करना, आदेश देना
English Meaning - to give an official instruction, command, or order to do something; make mandatory, require, order, direct.

3.green cover (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हरित आवरण, हरियाली
English Meaning - the natural or planted vegetation, including trees, shrubs, and grasses, in a particular area; vegetation, foliage, tree canopy, flora.

4.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

5.hottest (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सबसे अधिक गर्म, अत्यधिक तप्त
English Meaning - having the highest degree of heat or temperature; boiling, scorching, blistering, sweltering.

6.so far (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - अभी तक
English Meaning - until now; up to this point, up to the present.

7.scorching (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - झुलसा देने वाला, अत्यंत गर्म
English Meaning - very hot; boiling, blistering, blazing, roasting.

8.summer heat (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ग्रीष्मकालीन गर्मी, गर्मी की तपिश
English Meaning - the intense high temperatures typically experienced during the summer season; hotness, thermal stress, swelter.

9.informal sector (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असंगठित क्षेत्र
English Meaning - the part of an economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government; unorganized sector, grey economy, informal economy.

10.unprotected (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असुरक्षित, बिना संरक्षण वाला
English Meaning - lacking protection or defense against harm, danger, or extreme conditions; vulnerable, exposed, defenseless, unsafe.

11.environment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पर्यावरण, परिवेश
English Meaning - surroundings, habitat, atmosphere, setting.

12.climate change (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जलवायु परिवर्तन
English Meaning - a long-term alteration in the temperature and typical weather patterns in a place; global warming, greenhouse effect.

13.India Meteorological Department (IMD) (organization)

Hindi Meaning - भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग
English Meaning - an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India which is responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology.

14.frequency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवृत्ति, बारंबारता
English Meaning - the rate at which something occurs over a particular period of time; rate of occurrence, prevalence, commonness, incidence.

15.spell (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवधि, दौर
English Meaning - period, time, stretch, phase.

16.inextricably (adverb)

English Meaning - in a manner that is impossible to disentangle or separate; inseparably, indivisibly, essentially.

17.touch (verb)

English Meaning - to reach a particular level or amount; reach, attain, rise to, hit.

18.concrete fever (noun)

English Meaning - a state of crisis or extremely high temperatures in urban areas caused primarily by the widespread use of heat-absorbing concrete; concrete-induced warming.

19.reflective (adjective)

English Meaning - providing a surface that bounces back light, heat, or radiation; shining, glaring, radiating.

20.run-up (noun)

English Meaning - the period of time leading up to an important event; prelude, lead-up, preliminary.

21.under the sun (phrase)

English Meaning - outdoors in the direct sunlight, exposed to the heat of the sun; in broad daylight, out in the open.

22.heatwave (noun)

English Meaning - a period of unusually hot weather, typically lasting two or more days; hot spell.

23.Core Heatwave Zone (CHZ) (zone)

English Meaning - a geographical area designated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), stretching across central, northern, and peninsular India, which is highly prone to severe and frequent heatwaves annually.

24.coastal region (noun)

English Meaning - an area of land located near a sea or ocean; coastline, seaside, shore.

25.according to (phrase)

English Meaning - as stated by, as reported by; in accordance with, on the authority of.

26.World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (organization)

English Meaning - a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology, and geophysics.

27.warmest (adjective)

English Meaning - having the highest temperature compared to others in a record or group; hottest, most scorching, most blistering.

28.stretch (noun)

English Meaning - a continuous period of time; spell, period, duration, phase.

29.emission (noun)

English Meaning - the production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation, into the atmosphere; discharge, release, outpouring, outflux.

30.proximate (adjective)

English Meaning - closest in relationship, immediate; nearest, close, primary, direct.

31.villain (noun)

English Meaning - culprit, cause, offender, troublemaker.

32.uniquely (adverb)

English Meaning - exceptionally, distinctively, exclusively.

33.lethal (adjective)

English Meaning - fatal, deadly, mortal, life-threatening.

34.urban heat island (noun)

English Meaning - an urban area that experiences significantly higher temperatures than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities and dense buildings.

35.difference (noun)

English Meaning - distinction, variation, contrast, divergence.

36.manufacture (verb)

English Meaning - to produce or create something artificially; produce, create, generate, make.

37.concrete (noun)

English Meaning - cement, mortar.

38.asphalt (noun)

English Meaning - bitumen, blacktop, tarmac.

39.butchering (noun)

English Meaning - the act of indiscriminately cutting down or destroying; massacre, slaughter, decimation, ruining.

40.waste heat (noun)

English Meaning - the heat generated by human activities, machines, or industrial processes that is released into the environment without being utilized; residual heat, exhaust heat, unutilized heat.

41.exhale (verb)

English Meaning - to give off or discharge (vapor, heat, or smoke); release, emit, let out, discharge.

42.humidity (noun)

English Meaning - the amount of water vapour in the air; dampness, moisture, clamminess.

43.percentage point (noun)

English Meaning - the difference between two percentages; a unit of measure used to express the arithmetic difference of two percentages.

44.percentage point (noun)

English Meaning - the difference between two percentages is termed as percentage point. (for example: “Interest Rates Jump From 10% to 12%”. In this case, the interest rate increased by “2 percentage points” or you can say that the interest rate is increased by 20%).

45.have a lot to do with (phrase)

English Meaning - to be closely connected or related to something; be associated with, be linked to, have a bearing on, pertain to.

46.increasingly (adverb)

English Meaning - to an increasing extent; more and more, progressively, continuously.

47.sealed (adjective)

English Meaning - closed securely to prevent the passage of air or water, often referring to concreted surfaces lacking natural absorption; enclosed, impermeable, airtight.

48.global warming (noun)

English Meaning - an increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere; climate change.

49.seduction (noun)

English Meaning - something that tempts or attracts strongly; temptation, attraction, lure, draw.

50.technological fix (noun)

English Meaning - an innovation or machine-based solution aimed at solving a problem that may have deeper social or environmental causes; quick fix, technical solution, engineered remedy.

51.instinct (noun)

English Meaning - an innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour or natural tendency in response to certain stimuli; urge, impulse, intuition, inclination.

52.reach for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - grasp at, aim for, go for, resort to.

53.shield (verb)

English Meaning - protect, guard, defend, keep safe.

54.privileged (adjective)

English Meaning - having special rights, advantages, or immunities; wealthy, affluent, favoured, elite.

55.at the expense of (phrase)

English Meaning - at the cost of, at the sacrifice of, at the loss of, to the detriment of.

56.paradoxically (adverb)

English Meaning - in a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory way; surprisingly, ironically, unexpectedly, incongruously.

57.thermodynamic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the physics of heat and its relation to other forms of energy; thermal, heat-related, energy-related.

58.sense (noun)

English Meaning - a way in which an expression or a situation can be interpreted; meaning, understanding, interpretation, perspective.

59.fuel (verb)

English Meaning - stimulate, boost, intensify, aggravate.

60.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to require or demand a particular action; demand, require, necessitate, ask for.

61.instead (adverb)

English Meaning - as an alternative or substitute; alternatively, as a replacement, rather, in place of.

62.unglamorous (adjective)

English Meaning - not attractive or exciting; dull, ordinary, mundane, plain.

63.urban design (noun)

English Meaning - city planning, town planning.

64.building code (noun)

English Meaning - a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures; construction standard, architectural regulation, building regulation.

65.calibrate (verb)

English Meaning - to carefully assess, adjust, or tailor something to a particular situation or standard; adjust, tailor, modify, attune.

66.shift (verb)

English Meaning - change, alter, adjust.

67.most urgently (phrase)

English Meaning - critically, pressing, desperately, crucially.

68.enforcement (noun)

English Meaning - the act of compelling observance of or compliance with a law, rule, or obligation; imposition, implementation, execution, application.

69.labour law (noun)

English Meaning - a body of rules regulating the relations between employers and employees; employment law, worker protection law, workplace regulation.

70.honour (verb)

English Meaning - to fulfill an obligation or keep an agreement; observe, follow, obey, abide by.

71.largely (adverb)

English Meaning - to a great extent; mostly, mainly, primarily, predominantly.

72.in the breach (phrase)

English Meaning - frequently ignored, violated, or broken rather than obeyed (from the idiom “more honoured in the breach than in the observance”); disregarded, violated, neglected, overlooked.

73.more honoured in the breach than in the observance (phrase)

English Meaning - used to describe a rule, law, or custom that is more often broken or ignored than it is followed or obeyed; frequently violated, widely ignored, routinely broken, commonly disregarded. (Originating from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet to describe a bad custom that is more honourable to break than to follow - its true meaning)

74.heat index (noun)

English Meaning - a measure indicating the level of discomfort the average person is thought to experience as a result of the combined effects of the temperature and humidity of the air.

75.cross (verb)

English Meaning - exceed, surpass, breach, transcend.

76.threshold (noun)

English Meaning - the level or point at which something starts to happen or change; limit, boundary, starting point, brink.

77.human physiology (noun)

English Meaning - the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans, specifically referring to the body’s biological ability to cope with extremes; bodily function, biological makeup, physical endurance.

78.absorb (verb)

English Meaning - to take in or endure a shock, heat, or impact; withstand, handle, bear, take in.

79.yet (adverb)

English Meaning - up until the present or a specified or implied time; thus far, so far, until now.

80.serious (adjective)

English Meaning - significant, thoughtful.

81.national conversation (noun)

English Meaning - a widespread discussion, debate, or exchange of ideas involving the general public, experts, and policymakers across an entire country regarding an issue of significant importance; nationwide discussion, public discourse, national debate, societal dialogue.

82.head for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to move towards or be directed towards a particular situation or outcome; move towards, go towards, point towards, aim for.