In theory, heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, albeit with specific policies and interventions. The individuals who died in Noida included a ragpicker, a manual labourer and a security guard — and they were migrants
Heat is both an environmental and occupational health hazard. The National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCC-HH) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 46 heat-related deaths and over 19,000 cases of suspected heat stroke across the country in May 2024. The two key statistics that make heat-related news are maximum temperature and deaths.
Defining the deaths
This newspaper reported on June 18, “Noida: Amid heat wave, 7 people found dead with no injury marks”. According to the police spokesperson, the causes of death would be subject to the post-mortem reports but were tentatively presumed to be on account of the prevailing heat wave conditions. The National Heat-Related Illness (HRI) and Death Surveillance under the NPCC-HH defines “heat-related death” as a death in which exposure to high ambient temperature either caused the death or significantly contributed to it.
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