By Prerna Singh, Programme Director, Climate Adaptation Learning Lab (CALL), Transitions Research, India

Extreme heat is no longer an abstract future risk. It’s here—pressing in on metropolitan cities, small towns, villages, and coastal belts across South Asia. And while the impacts are often visible—dry taps, closed schools, shimmering streets—they are also quietly reshaping lives, especially for those already dealing with layered vulnerabilities.

This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses squarely on this intensifying challenge. It brings together stories, ideas, and practical lessons from across the region on how communities and institutions are responding to extreme heat. Led by the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), with co-curation support from Transitions Research, the issue is a product of both long-standing efforts and newer conversations sparked over the past years through focused efforts.

Some of these reflections emerged through the Adaptation Research Alliance’s TLS initiative, which connected local actors to share what’s working—and what isn’t—on the ground. But the issue goes beyond any single project or platform. What unites the contributions is a shared understanding that extreme heat cannot be addressed through top-down technical fixes alone. It demands locally informed responses, inclusive planning, and sustained dialogue across disciplines, sectors, and borders. The issue draws broadly from direct experience, community-led experiments, policy shifts, and old practices being revisited in a new climate context.

The 2024 heat season was one of the most intense in recent memory, with South Asia experiencing record-breaking temperatures and extremely high wet-bulb readings. For many contributors to this volume, these numbers represented more than just data; they reflected their daily lives. The stories shared here illustrate how people are coping, adapting, and rethinking what it means to stay cool, safe, and connected in the face of rising heat stress. Some pieces highlight emerging tools—like localised heat action plans, climate risk insurance, and participatory risk assessments. Others draw from deeper histories, such as indigenous cooling practices or evolving strategies among women-led collectives. And several zoom in on the lived experiences of specific groups: poultry farmers, migrants, and frontline workers. Across these perspectives, a few shared themes stand out.

First, the importance of context—geographic, social, cultural. What works in a dense Indian city may not work on a riverine island in Bangladesh or in the semi-arid stretches of western Nepal. Second, the value of listening—to those who’ve been adapting long before the heat was named a climate issue. And finally, the need to see knowledge itself as collective—emerging through dialogue, not prescription.

AIDMI’s decades of work in documenting and enabling locally led disaster and climate responses created a strong foundation for this issue. At the same time, the TLS process offered a fresh structure to connect organisations working on extreme heat, share methods and challenges, and amplify what’s already working.

Ultimately, this issue is not just a catalogue of ideas. It’s an invitation—to act, to reflect, to share. Because extreme heat isn’t just a technical problem. It’s a public health emergency, a justice issue, and a daily reality for millions. And the more we learn from each other, the better equipped we are to meet it—together.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of AIDMI.