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.
Related Post
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 […]
In scorching summer, warmer nights are a public-health challenge
The changing weather pattern is an architectural and urban planning challenge. Building designs need to prioritise ventilation and energy efficiency, while public policy should nudge in dustry to devise cooling solutions for low-income households. Summers in most parts of India have usually been harsh. However, sunset would bring some relief. The evening breeze and lower […]
The long night of India’s heatwave
From poor sleep to higher mortality chances, rising nighttime heat is reshaping the country’s climate emergency. Heat waves occur in India from March to June or July, and warnings are typically based only on the maximum surface air temperature (daytime). Daytime-only heatwaves (DHW) are increasingly turning into nighttime-only (NHW) and day-night compound heatwaves (CHW), and […]