By Pratap Maharjan, Program Manager, and Kriti Bhuju, Influencing and Communication Specialist-Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, Mercy Corps, Nepal

Extreme heat is emerging as a critical threat across the Asia Pacific, endangering lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. Nowhere is this more evident than in Nepal’s Terai region, a southern plains area where climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of heatwaves. Temperatures here regularly soar above 40°C, compounded by high humidity, creating lethal conditions. Between 2002 and 2010, Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs recorded 25 heatwaves in the Terai, and recent years have seen a worrying trend: major urban centers in Madhesh and Sudurpaschim provinces report rising numbers of extreme heat days. In May 2024, Dhangadi in Sudurpaschim hit a record 44.1°C. The impacts are unambiguous—disrupted education, strained healthcare systems, and livelihoods destroyed as outdoor work becomes risky. While data gaps obscure the full scale of the crisis, vulnerable groups—women, children, the elderly, and economically marginalized communities—bear the heaviest burden, facing heightened health risks, economic instability, and social inequities.

Government and Global Responses

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Nepalese government has begun developing heat preparedness guidelines to address the cascading threats posed by heatwaves. However, effectively tackling these heatwaves requires a systemic integration of health, economic, and environmental strategies.

Globally, forums such as the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) have highlighted this issue, emphasizing the importance of equity, data-driven actions, and innovative financing. Discussions at APMCDRR underscored the multifaceted impacts of heatwaves, including increases in gender-based violence and productivity losses. This highlights the need for early warning systems (EWS) that consider various factors like humidity in addition to temperature.

Examples such as Japan’s heatstroke alerts illustrate the value of localized, community-specific solutions. Additionally, initiatives like the Asian Development Bank’s parametric heat insurance represent progress in integrating heat resilience into social protection frameworks.

Mercy Corps’ Holistic Approach

Mercy Corps Nepal is at the forefront of this battle, blending immediate relief with long-term resilience. In 2024, their Managing Risk Through Economic Development (MRED) program established cooling centers, broadcast heat safety messages via radio, and distributed rehydration supplies to laborers. A pioneering heat perception study captured community insights on risks and coping mechanisms, informing a multilingual public service announcement produced with Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). For 2025, Mercy Corps is scaling efforts across three pillars:

1. Evidence-Based Policy Advocacy: Through the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance Program, household-level assessments in 21 communities will quantify resilience to heatwave and identify impacts on livelihoods. Findings will guide localized heat action plans, ensuring government policies reflect grassroots realities and resources are allocated accordingly.
2. Nature-Based Solutions (NbS): Pilot projects—such as green roofs, urban greening, and tree plantations—will be tested in public buildings like health posts to combat urban heat islands, improve air quality, and showcase NbS scalability.
3. Community awareness and coping actions: Mercy Corps will disseminate heat forecasts and protective strategies via localized PSAs, community awareness programs, promote traditional practices like pond restoration and agroforestry, and co-fund local government initiatives such as cooling centers and rehydration programs.

The Road Ahead

The APMCDRR underscored that equitable, collaborative governance is key to resilience. Success hinges on bridging indigenous knowledge with scientific innovation. Short-term adaptations, like adjusting work hours, must be balanced with long-term investments in infrastructure and gender-sensitive planning to avoid exacerbating women’s caregiving burdens. Crucially, data collection must evolve beyond academic exercise to inform actionable policies. Mercy Corps’ vision aligns with this ethos: By 2025, we aim to take systematic steps to not only shield vulnerable communities from heat but also empower them as leaders in climate adaptation.

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