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DonateBy AIDMI, India
As Maharashtra confronts intensifying and recurring extreme heat events, a unique coalition of institutions, governance leaders, and civil society is shaping the state’s response. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), and a broad network of civil society organisations (CSOs) and NGOs are together redefining what climate resilience means for one of India’s most heat-exposed states. Their work demonstrates how science, policy, and community leadership can converge to make Maharashtra cool, inclusive, and climate-smart.
Knowledge Action: The Role of TISS
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has emerged as a knowledge and action partner at the heart of Maharashtra’s heat resilience efforts. Through its Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies (JTSDS), TISS has studied how heat stress affects livelihoods, health, and work across cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur, and Beed.
This research has generated crucial evidence for inclusive Heat Action Plans (HAPs) that reflect the needs of informal workers, women, and children.
TISS also plays a leading role in capacity building, training state and municipal officers, NGOs, and community organisations on urban heat risk and social resilience. These modules integrate early warning systems, occupational safety, and cool infrastructure into disaster management plans—supporting the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority’s (MSDMA) goal to make “every district heat ready.”
In collaboration with AIDMI, TISS has helped identify and promote community-level cooling solutions such as cool roofs, green corridors, and shaded public spaces. Its approach combines traditional building knowledge with modern design, demonstrating how academic research can be transformed into tangible community benefits.
Beyond implementation, TISS experts contribute to policy dialogues with MSDMA, NDMA, and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, ensuring that heat resilience is embedded in urban planning, CSR investment, and local governance frameworks.
Perhaps most inspiring is TISS’s effort to mobilise youth and academia. By turning its campuses into “living laboratories” for climate action, it is cultivating a new generation of citizens who view cooling not merely as comfort—but as a right and a shared responsibility.
Governance Leadership: The Role of YASHADA
The Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Pune, provides the governance backbone for Maharashtra’s climate adaptation mission. Through its Centre for Disaster Management (CDM), YASHADA trains administrative officers, municipal staff, and disaster managers to integrate heatwave preparedness into daily governance.
Its programmes for IAS and State Civil Service officers emphasise aligning District Disaster Management Plans (DDMPs) with NDMA’s Guidelines on Heat Wave Management and Maharashtra’s evolving Cooling Roadmap.
YASHADA serves as a convergence platform, linking departments such as health, urban development, agriculture, energy, and labour. This cross-sector coordination ensures that the social and economic dimensions of heat are fully understood and addressed. As the state’s apex training institute, YASHADA is also developing knowledge resources on urban heat, rural livelihoods, and green cooling to support the Maharashtra Climate Action Plan.
Field documentation—ranging from cool roofs in Beed to green cover restoration in Nashik and market shade structures in Nagpur—helps connect local innovations to state policy. By partnering with AIDMI, UNDP, and the World Bank, YASHADA has initiated projects that explore financing mechanisms for local cooling interventions, the inclusion of heat awareness in Panchayati Raj and ULB trainings, and the use of sustainable materials in housing.
True to its motto of “Building Competent and Compassionate Governance,” YASHADA promotes leadership for climate resilience. It encourages officials to innovate and replicate community-based cooling practices, nurturing a governance culture that acts early, plans locally, and cools inclusively.
| “Resilience begins with capable governance, informed science, and empowered citizens.” |
Community Power: The Role of Civil Society and NGOs
While research and governance set the framework, it is civil society that brings heat resilience to life in Maharashtra’s villages, towns, and markets. NGOs such as AIDMI, SEWA, Prayas, and WOTR have been instrumental in ensuring that the lived experience of vulnerable workers—vendors, farmers, construction labourers—is reflected in policy.
Through grassroots documentation, these organisations have provided evidence that informs Heat Action Plans and contributes to the Maharashtra State Cooling Roadmap. Their advocacy ensures that heat resilience remains centred on the poor and informal workforce, especially women.
Civil society has also led on-ground innovations: installing cool roofs and shade shelters, promoting tree-based micro-parks, and reviving traditional materials like clay tiles and white lime coatings. These low-cost methods have shown measurable success, reducing indoor temperatures by 2–4°C in pilot areas.
At the same time, NGOs have driven awareness campaigns across schools, health centres, and municipal wards under the banner of “Heat Ready Communities.” Localised training materials in Marathi and participatory communication ensure that life-saving information reaches everyone.
Crucially, NGOs have connected corporate social responsibility (CSR) with local adaptation. Projects such as Afat Vimo (micro-insurance for extreme heat) and market shade initiatives channel CSR and municipal funds toward cooling solutions. These partnerships are helping integrate heat management into district plans and municipal budgets.
By collaborating with institutions like TISS and YASHADA, NGOs are also creating knowledge partnerships that bridge community experience and academic rigour—forming a statewide learning ecosystem for resilience.
Cooling Maharashtra Together: The Way Ahead
The synergy among TISS, YASHADA, and civil society organisations offers Maharashtra a model of institutional cooperation against climate extremes. Together, they represent three essential pillars of resilience:
As the state faces longer and more frequent heatwaves, this partnership demonstrates that cooling Maharashtra is not merely a technical challenge—it is a social and governance mission. By connecting classrooms, government offices, and community spaces, Maharashtra is showing India how to build resilience from the ground up.
References:
| “Cooling is the new measure of development. Maharashtra’s institutions are proving that local leadership can make climate resilience real.” |
