By Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI, India

The risk of extreme heat is rising across the world. Recently, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, acknowledged this elevated risk by issuing a call to action against extreme heat. Mr. Guterres stated that extreme heat increasingly tearing through economies, widening inequalities, undermining the Sustainable Development Goals, and killing people. He also stated that caring for the vulnerable especially the urban poor should be a top priority.[1] In a similar vein, the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also acknowledged the risk of extreme heat in India. In a recent meeting with key departmental secretaries, the Indian PM reviewed the preparedness of the health sector to respond to the risk of heatwaves. The PM stressed upon the whole of government approach and said all arms of the government at central, state and district levels, besides various ministries, need to work on this in synergy.[2]

The All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) heeded this necessary call to action against extreme heat by both the UN Secretary-General and the Indian Prime Minister by conducting a demand survey on Heatwave Risk Mitigation and Management in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This demand survey study has been undertaken by AIDMI to have a look at the ground level impacts of heatwaves on the people especially working poor in the informal sector of the urban economy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh.

Overall, this demand survey covered 121 urban low-income sector workers and entrepreneurs who were street vendors, auto drivers, construction and domestic workers along with fruit and vegetable sellers from various areas of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.  Moreover, the demand survey also suggested the remedial measures to be taken by the state, municipal and civil society to avoid deaths and mitigate the sufferings caused by the heatwaves.

The principal findings of this demand survey highlighted many areas of action for effective management and mitigation of extreme heat risk of urban informal workers. Firstly, vulnerabilities should be properly mapped to identify the hotspots and geographic concentrations of urban workers for better targeting of the vulnerable population. Secondly, participatory research needs to be taken up with the informal workers to identify robust adaptation strategies against extreme heat risk. Thirdly, increasing access to affordable cooling solutions for the informal sector workers is critical. Fourthly, local governments, urban planners and architects need to come together to provide climate-resilient infrastructure to these informal sector workers. Fifthly, it is essential to tailor and contextualise heatwave early warning systems for reaching the last time. Sixthly, favourable policy and regulatory frameworks such as labour policies, zoning regulations, and urban planning guidelines that prioritise the well-being and resilience of these communities should be prioritised.

As 2024 is slated to breach all previous temperature records to become the hottest year on record, there is a need for urgent heat action against the risk of extreme heat in India. Heatwaves are still not included in the list of notified central disasters in India. AIDMI’s action research and advocacy work highlights how it is time for every state to issue it’s own call to action against the risk of extreme heat. Such a call to action should pervade to the sub-national level as well, wherein all municipal corporations and municipalities should have their own roadmap and heatwave action plans to better address the needs of the informal workers. Only these collective efforts can help in achieving climate resilience, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and safeguarding the well-being of vulnerable populations in the face of extreme heat events.

[1] United Nations. (2024, July 25). Secretary-General’s press conference on extreme heat. Retrieved from  https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2024-07-25/secretary-generals-press-conference-extreme-heat

[2] Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2024, July 25). Cabinet approves continuation of National Health Mission (NHM) with a budget of Rs. 5,000 crores. Retrieved from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2017685