By Mihir R. Bhatt with Mehul Pandya, Senior Coordinator, AIDMI, India

India faces a growing extreme heat crisis, with rising temperatures and increasingly frequent and intense extreme heat posing significant threats to human health, ecosystems, and economic productivity. The country’s vast population, high poverty rates, and dependence on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture make it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat. Extreme heat has devastating consequences, leading to heatstroke, dehydration, respiratory problems, and increased mortality rates, loss of or slowing down of livelihood and income, particularly among vulnerable groups like older adults, children, and outdoor workers. Articles in this issue present a compelling case for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing this urgent challenge not only to India but to our planet.

Key Messages and Recommendations

1. Heat Knowledge is Cool Power: The issue underscores the critical role of knowledge sharing and capacity building in fostering extreme heat resilience. It advocates empowering local communities and organisations with the knowledge and skills with matching funds to prepare for and respond effectively to extreme heat.

• Disseminating actionable information: To effectively combat the growing threat of extreme heat, India needs to prioritise additional and accessible information dissemination. The Ministry of Health, Disaster Management Authorities (both National and State), Local Governments, and Civil Society Organisations should further collaborate to deliver even more clear, concise and actionable information on heat risks, preventive measures, and early warning signs. Utilising diverse channels, public and private, including local languages, will ensure this vital information reaches all communities, empowering them to take timely action and minimise heat-related health to income to education risks.
• Leveraging capacity-building sessions: Leveraging national capacity to respond to extreme heat effectively is crucial. The National Institute of Disaster Management, State Health Departments, Academic Institutions, and NGOs should further collaborate to build on workshops and training programs. These sessions should target communities, healthcare workers, and other stakeholders, consolidating their own expertise and experience as well as equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed for extreme heat preparedness, response, and management. This collaborative approach will ensure a comprehensive and coordinated response to the growing threat of extreme heat in addition to reducing cost and saving time while achieving coherence.
• Consolidating targeted resources: Consolidating existing and developing new targeted, accessible resources is crucial for extreme heat preparedness. The National Health Portal, in collaboration with State Disaster Management Plans, should prioritise creating and distributing educational materials that give long-term picture and skills. These resources, including brochures, posters, and videos, should be tailored for specific audiences, particularly vulnerable groups like informal workers small businesses, and children. Schools and colleges and print, electronic and social media outlets should actively disseminate these materials, ensuring widespread awareness and understanding of extreme heat risks and preventive measures.

2. Funded Collaboration is Key: Recognising that tackling extreme heat requires a multi-sectoral approach, this issue stresses the importance of future, long-term and funded collaboration among government agencies, NGOs, local communities, and other stakeholders. Collaboration without money and money collaboration has limited results, AIDMI has found in its almost decade-long work on extreme heat. Recommendations include:

• Accelerate coordination mechanisms: Effective extreme heat response demands robust coordination mechanisms. The National Disaster Management Authority should lead the charge, establishing seamless communication and information-sharing platforms among all levels – State, District, City, and Village level committees. This interconnected approach will facilitate coordinated action, ensuring everyone involved has access to real-time information and can respond effectively to evolving extreme heat situations.
• Leveraging existing networks: To effectively implement extreme heat response strategies, leveraging existing networks is vital. The National Platform for DRR, Sphere India, and Civil Society Organisations should collaborate with established community networks, particularly Self-Help Groups, to disseminate information, mobilise resources, and ensure a coordinated response. Similar Networks of works, cooperatives, and migrants should be encouraged to be formed and supported. Such networks can effectively reach vulnerable populations and facilitate community-level action.
• Promoting public-private partnerships: Public-private partnerships are crucial for developing innovative extreme heat solutions. The private sector – from big corporations to small businesses – has a big role to play. Government agencies should actively encourage Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, engaging technology companies and insurance providers to directly focus on cooling technology, home to farm to forest as well as extreme heat loss insurance. These collaborations can drive the development of early warning systems, heat-resilient infrastructure, and targeted insurance products, ultimately mobilising resources and expertise to mitigate and manage extreme heat risks effectively at a local level.

3. Integrating Resilience into Existing Frameworks: The issue emphasises the need to mainstream extreme heat resilience into existing development schemes and policies, particularly in urban and rural areas most vulnerable to extreme heat. Recommendations include:

• Incorporating extreme heat considerations in urban planning: India needs to prioritise heat-resilient urban planning to combat urban heat. Cool homes, cool wards, and cool cities must become an urgent reality. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in coordination with Urban Local Bodies and Town Planning Organisations, should prioritise green spaces, cool roofs, and early warning systems in city design. Integrating these elements will help mitigate the urban heat island effect, creating cooler, more liveable cities for all. The role of street vendors, construction workers, and migrant families in this process must be fully and first supported.
• Promoting climate-smart agriculture: Indian farmers are already moving to climate-smart agriculture. The government of India should prioritise climate-smart agriculture to enhance agricultural resilience to extreme heat. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Agricultural Universities, should invest in research and development in addition to innovation and consolidation of heat-resistant crops and promote the adoption of water conservation techniques among farmers.

• Cooling healthcare infrastructure: Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is crucial for extreme heat resilience. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, State Health Departments and the National Rural Health Mission should prioritise improving healthcare facilities with an emphasis on community health and public health measuring. This includes ensuring adequate resources and trained personnel to effectively handle heatstroke cases and other heat-related illnesses, in addition to preventing health measures and ensuring timely and life-saving medical care for vulnerable populations.

4. Extending in Early Warning Systems and Response Mechanisms: The Indian Metrological Department has found effective ways to deliver the forecast where it matters the most. This is being consolidated. The issue highlights the importance of robust early warning systems to provide timely alerts and enable proactive measures to protect vulnerable populations. Recommendations include:

• Wide scaling accurate and timely forecasting systems: India must further prioritise accurate and timely forecasting to improve extreme heat preparedness. The India Meteorological Department, with support from the Ministry of Earth Sciences and academic institutions, should invest in advanced meteorological infrastructure and research focused on extreme heat. This will enhance forecasting accuracy, extend lead times, and enable more effective early warning systems for those who should take anticipatory action.
• Evolving clear communication protocols: Evolving further effective communication of extreme heat alerts is crucial for saving lives. The National Disaster Management Authority should quality evolve clear communication protocols, working with State Disaster Management Authorities and media outlets to ensure timely and accessible dissemination of extreme heat alerts to communities and relevant stakeholders.
• Strengthening emergency response mechanisms: Strengthening emergency response mechanisms is crucial for minimising the impact of extreme heat. The National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Forces should receive specialised training and resources to respond to extreme heat emergencies effectively. Additionally, health departments must ensure that hospitals are equipped to handle heat-related illnesses and provide a swift and effective response to protect lives and livelihoods with a focus on women and children.

5. Addressing Demand-Side Solutions: The document highlights the importance of addressing the growing demand for energy, particularly for cooling, during extreme heat. Recommendations include:

• Ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply: To protect lives during extreme heat, ensuring uninterrupted electricity is crucial. The Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the Power Grid Corporation of India and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions, should prioritise reliable electricity supply, especially during peak extreme heat periods. This will ensure the functioning of essential cooling devices, providing life-saving relief from extreme heat, and protecting incomes and health.
• Promoting energy efficiency: Promoting energy efficiency is crucial for extreme heat resilience. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency should further incentivise energy-efficient appliances, while the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs should integrate energy efficiency into building codes at all levels. Public awareness campaigns can encourage energy conservation practices, reducing strain on the power grid, to further cool homes and workplaces.
• Exploring alternative energy sources: Investing in renewable energy is crucial for mitigating climate change and reducing extreme heat vulnerability. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, alongside the Solar Energy Corporation of India, should prioritise investments in solar power, particularly for vulnerable communities and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises involving women. Solar coolers, solar fridges, and solar cold storage are some examples. Encouraging private sector participation will be vital for scaling up renewable energy adoption and building a more resilient future for those who are affected by extreme heat in all sectors of the economy.

Conclusion

The issue provides direction for moving towards making a roadmap for building extreme heat resilience in India by emphasising the importance of knowledge sharing at all levels of collaboration between those who are affected and those who are not, mainstreaming resilience into existing frameworks, investing in the performance of early warning systems and response mechanisms, and addressing the growing energy demand. By adopting a proactive and multi-sectoral approach, India can effectively mitigate the impacts of extreme heat, protect its vulnerable populations, and build a more resilient future for all, not only in India but for all those who suffer from extreme heat across South Asia. In cooling the citizens, the most affected citizen and his or her work must be made cooler first.

Photo caption: “The water is getting too warm now. The fish are getting sluggish, and some are even dying. It is a worry, especially with the cost of everything else going up.” – A fish farmer in Kerala, commenting on the impact of the heatwave. Photo: AIDMI.

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