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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In a heatwave, how do we protect our most vulnerable?
In theory, all or most heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable while in practice, gauging the public health impact of extreme temperatures is difficult 2023 was the world’s warmest year on record and it has been 47 years since the Earth has had a colder-than-average year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2023 was […]
Tracking ‘heat health’ in summer of heat wave
India needs to adopt a decentralised model to deal with extreme events, drawing on planning and communitisation models enshrined in the National Health Mission The political heat that the ongoing Lok Sabha polls have generated aside, the effect of the impending weeks of summer on the campaign and the actual polling process is part of […]
Heat has health consequences, and economic ones too
The Government of India has consistently reiterated its global climate commitments. As the world heats up, heat health is increasingly occupying centre stage during the summer months. The Global Heat Health Information Network cautions that heat is a serious human health concern and that the number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due to climate change […]
Tracking ‘heat health’ in summer of heat wave
Hindustan Times (29 April, 2024)
India needs to adopt a decentralised model to deal with extreme events, drawing on planning and communitisation models enshrined in the National Health Mission
The political heat that the ongoing Lok Sabha polls have generated aside, the effect of the impending weeks of summer on the campaign and the actual polling process is part of the current discussion. Union minister Nitin Gadkari fainted during an election rally in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district on April 24 but recovered soon. On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a severe heatwave has swept over east and south peninsular India and will continue for the next five days, spiking temperatures in Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar, parts of Jharkhand, pockets of Rayalaseema, interior Karnataka, and Telangana.
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Who dies in a heat wave? High temperatures don’t affect everyone equally
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 […]
In a heatwave, how do we protect our most vulnerable?
In theory, all or most heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable while in practice, gauging the public health impact of extreme temperatures is difficult 2023 was the world’s warmest year on record and it has been 47 years since the Earth has had a colder-than-average year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2023 was […]
Heat has health consequences, and economic ones too
The Government of India has consistently reiterated its global climate commitments. As the world heats up, heat health is increasingly occupying centre stage during the summer months. The Global Heat Health Information Network cautions that heat is a serious human health concern and that the number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due to climate change […]
In a heatwave, how do we protect our most vulnerable?
The Indian EXPRESS (11 April, 2024)
In theory, all or most heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable while in practice, gauging the public health impact of extreme temperatures is difficult
2023 was the world’s warmest year on record and it has been 47 years since the Earth has had a colder-than-average year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2023 was the second warmest year in India in 122 years — the warmest ever recorded was 2016. The IMD predicts that most of India is likely to experience both above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures in April, May, and June.
States or regions most prone to increased heatwaves include Gujarat, Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, North Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. A high of 45.2 degrees Celsius was reported from parts of Raichur district, Karnataka, on April 6, with seven people from different villages suffering mild heat strokes.
Related Post
Heat has health consequences, and economic ones too
The Government of India has consistently reiterated its global climate commitments. As the world heats up, heat health is increasingly occupying centre stage during the summer months. The Global Heat Health Information Network cautions that heat is a serious human health concern and that the number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due to climate change […]
Tracking ‘heat health’ in summer of heat wave
India needs to adopt a decentralised model to deal with extreme events, drawing on planning and communitisation models enshrined in the National Health Mission The political heat that the ongoing Lok Sabha polls have generated aside, the effect of the impending weeks of summer on the campaign and the actual polling process is part of […]
Who dies in a heat wave? High temperatures don’t affect everyone equally
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 […]
Heat has health consequences, and economic ones too
FE Healthcare (4 April, 2024)
The Government of India has consistently reiterated its global climate commitments. As the world heats up, heat health is increasingly occupying centre stage during the summer months. The Global Heat Health Information Network cautions that heat is a serious human health concern and that the number of people exposed to extreme heat is growing exponentially due to climate change in all world regions, India being no exception.
The Union Health Minister along with the Minister of State and the technical leadership reviewed the public health preparedness for management of heat related illnesses. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a general forecast earlier this week of more than average heat wave days during April to June. Large parts of the southern peninsula, central India, east India, and the northwestern plains were likely to experience above-normal temperatures.
The IMD considers heat wave if the departure from normal is 4.50C to 6.40C and a severe heat wave for departures above 6.40C. Based on Actual Maximum Temperature, heat wave condition is declared when it is 450C or above and severe heat wave when it is 470C or more. The criteria must be met in at least two stations in a Meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days and it declared on the second day.
Hot days and heatwaves lead to wide-ranging impacts, from mortality among human societies on account of heat-related illnesses to impacting infrastructure in the economy. Substantial work on heat related mortality in India, especially for urban areas has attracted much attention, and rightly so. It has led to a disaster-mode framing with National and State disaster management authorities playing key roles. State and city specific Heat Action Plans (HAPs) have been developed to reduce the health effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations. The review meeting was informed that updated HAPs have already been prepared for in 23 states and 100 districts have put in action campaign on heatwave awareness generation.
Heat and human well-being are connected in many ways, beyond mortality. Health sector actors have an important role to play, acting in tandem with other departments and by providing the morbidity data to motivate action. Human health and well-being depend on the economic consequences of high heat. Empirical estimates of losses in labour productivity and agricultural output with consequent decline in GDP and creation of inflationary pressures in the economy are increasingly reported world-wide. Increase in energy demand to combat heat, is raising the need for allocation of resources to increase heat resilience. Direct impacts on human resources and infrastructure are also being recognized including the demands for health care provisioning and health infrastructure such as cooling needs and maintaining cold chains, and as businesses and societies gear up for maintaining the productivity and well-being of their employees. All these have the potential for fall-outs in terms of health risks and need to be managed as these are largely preventable.
India’s economic achievements have been significant and much lauded over the last couple of decades. The post-COVID recovery demonstrated the successful use of monetary and fiscal stimulus for revival of economic growth, along with the innovative use of IT and digital application. Sufficient learnings for creating awareness and getting the right evidence-based communication has taken place and can be applied for building heat resilience for the economy. Ensuring well-being for society implies engaging with wide ranging sets of stakeholders across public and private sectors, from central banks to businesses. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for instance, plays a central role in price stability and regulation. It has been focusing on dealing with climate risks and has recently drafted a disclosure framework on climate related financial risks and plays a central role in price stability. Partnerships within different public sector ministries and departments, with the IMD and the health ministries and department as key, and supportive business management practices which take care of both employees and insure businesses against risks, constitute wise strategies.
Rapid rises in heat gain due to exposure to hotter than average conditions affect the human body’s ability to regulate temperature resulting in a range of conditions including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. These conditions can rapidly, within a single day, worsen to hospitalisation and death or have a lagged effect over several days. There may worsening of existing illnesses in the elderly and frail. In specific, these include cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions. Even small differences from seasonal average temperatures, and not necessarily a heat wave per se is associated with increased illness and death.
The National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) led by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been designed to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on human health, strengthen the healthcare system, and improve health preparedness. An urgent task is to strengthen surveillance on climate sensitive health conditions. The NPCCHH has initiated efforts in this regard; success will depend upon bottom-up inputs from public and private institutions in the states. Granular and timely data will be crucial to crafting tailored response strategies that can address the specific needs of a multitude of India’s vulnerable communities.
Rajib Dasgupta is a Professor at Centre of Social Medicine & Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Purnamita Dasgupta is a Chair in Environmental Economics and Head, Environmental and Resource Economics Unit, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. The authors are collaborators of the Wellcome Trust funded project, Economic and Health Impact Assessment of Heat Adaptation Action: Case Studies from India.
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Tracking ‘heat health’ in summer of heat wave
India needs to adopt a decentralised model to deal with extreme events, drawing on planning and communitisation models enshrined in the National Health Mission The political heat that the ongoing Lok Sabha polls have generated aside, the effect of the impending weeks of summer on the campaign and the actual polling process is part of […]
In a heatwave, how do we protect our most vulnerable?
In theory, all or most heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable while in practice, gauging the public health impact of extreme temperatures is difficult 2023 was the world’s warmest year on record and it has been 47 years since the Earth has had a colder-than-average year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2023 was […]
Who dies in a heat wave? High temperatures don’t affect everyone equally
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 […]
Professor Purnamita Dasgupta, Chair Professor and Head of the Environmental and Resource Economics Unit at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, delivered a keynote address on the assessment of heat-health risks and economic impacts at a national symposium organised by the Indian Meteorological Society Pune, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and India Meteorological Department.
Professor Dasgupta highlighted the growing concern of heat stress in India, emphasising the need for effective interventions to protect vulnerable populations. The presentation delved into the various pathways of health risks associated with heat stress and the potential economic and social consequences, particularly for the elderly, children, and outdoor workers.
The address also discussed the range of adaptation interventions to manage heat-health risks, including the evaluation of economic costs and the assessment of benefits from effective interventions. By prioritising cost-effective solutions and addressing the challenges of implementation, India can mitigate the adverse impacts of heat stress and build resilience to climate change.
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Heatstroke economy: the rising cost of extreme heat
Extreme heat is no longer a future threat. It's here - and it’s costing us. From hospitals pushed to the brink, to cities built for a cooler planet, the toll is mounting on our bodies, our livelihoods and the systems meant to keep us safe.
Purnamita Dasgupta and Girika Sharma presented a paper titled ” Climate Finance for Adaptation and Sustainable Development in India,” co-authored by both, at the 2nd Annual Conference on Public Finance and Policy held at Madras School of Economics, Chennai, with their presentation delivered virtually. The conference was held on March 7 and 8, 2024.
The paper presented an overview of climate finance, with a special focus on flows of finance for adaptation. A desk analysis of available studies and estimates on finance needs and flows from developed to developing countries, and the current scenario in terms of flows from various international and domestic sources was conducted. The findings established the lack of uniformity and incomparability across methods used to estimate finance needs and the insufficiency of current financial flows for enabling the required transition to a climate-resilient economy for India. Prioritisation of resource allocations that integrated adaptation with developmental outcomes could lead to a transition that was compatible with sustainable development. Subsequently, an empirical comparative analysis of adaptation expenditures and needs linked to the consequences of climatic events across states yielded some interesting insights on the relationships between these variables. Choosing health as an indicator of development, the empirical analysis established a positive relationship between disaster preparedness and achievement of good health outcomes, and between adaptation expenditures and reduction in mortality. However, across states planned budgetary allocations did not match with adaptation investment needs. The paper presented preliminary evidence on how developmental gaps correlated with fund flows and needs for adaptation. Methodological differences and lack of coordination across sectors, large gaps between needs and available fund flows in the aggregate, low budgetary flows to critical sectors such as health, and lack of flows from the private sector for adaptation were some of the most important challenges. The use of standardised frameworks to accurately assess cost-effectiveness and returns on adaptation investments could encourage private finance and remove uncertainties in the investment climate. The assessment reinforced the need for mobilisation and alignment of adaptation finance flows with developmental needs across states and sectors. Prioritisation of cross-sector actions to align sectoral budgetary allocations between key developmental and climate outcomes could be beneficial in pursuing transformation.
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Paper Presentation at 23rd IASSI Annual Conference
Girika Sharma, a Senior Research Analyst at IEG, presented a paper titled “Climatic Vulnerability and Health Risks: An All-India Analysis” at the 23rd IASSI Annual Conference held at BIT Mesra, Ranchi, from October 25th to 27th, 2024. The paper, co-authored by Purnamita Dasgupta, Madhura Chowdhari, Gudakesh, William Joe, and Girika Sharma, delved into how climatic […]
Paper Presentation – DAAD-sponsored International Conference entitled “Climate Change: A Socio-geological Perspective” organised by The School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur
Shivangi Shankar and Girika Sharma made a presentation titled “How Heat Affects HerHealth: Exploring the Impact of Increasing Temperatures on Women’s Health,” at the DAAD-sponsored International Conference entitled “Climate Change: A Socio-geological Perspective,” organised by The School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, with their presentation delivered virtually. The conference was held on […]
Addressing Heat-Health Risks: Chhanw Team’s Key Contributions at the 69th IPHA Conference
The 69th Annual Conference of the Indian Public Health Association was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research in Belagavi, Karnataka from 21 to 23 March 2025. The theme of the conference was Transforming Public Health in India: Innovations, Challenges, Diplomacy and Future Horizons. The Chhanw team of […]
Shivangi Shankar and Girika Sharma made a presentation titled “How Heat Affects HerHealth: Exploring the Impact of Increasing Temperatures on Women’s Health,” at the DAAD-sponsored International Conference entitled “Climate Change: A Socio-geological Perspective,” organised by The School of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, with their presentation delivered virtually. The conference was held on October 11 and 12, 2023.
The study found that heat action plans ignored the complexities of gender-related vulnerability to heat impact. Some key plans and guidelines barely mentioned gender-related vulnerability, much less suggested ways to address them. Where present, there was a disproportionate focus on maternal health, ignoring other aspects of health and illness that arise in a woman’s life course. The paper thus proposed possible approaches for addressing heat impact on women’s health across the life course. This study emphasised the need to fill lacunae in literature regarding women’s susceptibility to heat. It also highlighted the importance of creating gender-informed policies to reduce the adverse impacts of heat on women’s health. In an increasingly warmer and unequal world, it was imperative that heat action plans and strategies were responsive to and inclusive of vulnerable populations.
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Addressing Heat-Health Risks: Chhanw Team’s Key Contributions at the 69th IPHA Conference
The 69th Annual Conference of the Indian Public Health Association was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research in Belagavi, Karnataka from 21 to 23 March 2025. The theme of the conference was Transforming Public Health in India: Innovations, Challenges, Diplomacy and Future Horizons. The Chhanw team of […]
Paper Presentation – Second Annual Conference on Public Finance and Policy at Madras School of Economics, Chennai
Purnamita Dasgupta and Girika Sharma presented a paper titled ” Climate Finance for Adaptation and Sustainable Development in India,” co-authored by both, at the 2nd Annual Conference on Public Finance and Policy held at Madras School of Economics, Chennai, with their presentation delivered virtually. The conference was held on March 7 and 8, 2024. The […]
Paper Presentation at 23rd IASSI Annual Conference
Girika Sharma, a Senior Research Analyst at IEG, presented a paper titled “Climatic Vulnerability and Health Risks: An All-India Analysis” at the 23rd IASSI Annual Conference held at BIT Mesra, Ranchi, from October 25th to 27th, 2024. The paper, co-authored by Purnamita Dasgupta, Madhura Chowdhari, Gudakesh, William Joe, and Girika Sharma, delved into how climatic […]