By Dina Rasheed, Akash Yadav, and Vishal Pathak, AIDMI, India

Extreme heat waves, once sporadic, are now a persistent threat to India’s health, agriculture, and livelihoods. The country’s average temperature has already risen by 0.7°C and could climb up to 4.4°C by 2100. In 2015 alone, heat killed more than 2,200 people. Urban heat-island effects amplify risks in cities, while crop losses and productivity declines threaten rural incomes. Hot-spot states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra are especially exposed, making heat stress among India’s most urgent climate challenges.

Policy Challenges and Current Initiatives
India lacks a national policy that classifies heatwaves as a natural disaster under the Disaster Management Act (2005). Existing National Disaster Management Authority guidelines and local Heat Action Plans (HAPs) often fall short: they overlook region-specific hazards, rarely target the most vulnerable groups, and are underfunded, weakly enforced, and opaque in implementation. Heat-related deaths remain underreported because indirect fatalities (e.g., cardiovascular failures) are seldom linked to heat, hampering evidence-based prioritisation. Capacity building within HAPs is fragmented, leaving gaps in health, urban planning, and agriculture. Rapid urbanisation compounds exposure by intensifying heat islands, and soaring demand for cooling strains power grids. small-sector workers, 80 % of India’s labour force, typically lack access to heat-resilient infrastructure, heightening both health and income risks.

Role of Non-state and State Actors

NGOs and private firms help bridge policy gaps. The Mahila Housing Trust promotes bamboo roofs and solar-reflective paint in Gujarat, CARITAS India’s Chaya Project sets up emergency cooling centres in Rajasthan, and Sphere India conducts impact assessments to guide local responses. Microsoft India’s AI-powered “Sunny Lives” model issues heat-risk advisories. Despite their promise, such interventions are limited in scale and continuity without stronger public support.

On the state side, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues heatwave warnings, while the NDMA’s “Sachet” alert system broadens early-warning reach. Programmes such as the SAHARA initiative integrate energy-efficient cooling solutions. Yet coordination between state and non-state efforts remains weak, curbing nationwide impact.

Policy Recommendations and Innovations

1. Legal recognition and finance. Classifying heatwaves as a natural disaster would unlock disaster-response funds and embed mitigation into national and state planning. A dedicated central fund, or expansion of the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change, would ensure HAPs are adequately resourced.
2. Climate-responsive infrastructure. Scaling cool roofs, energy-efficient buildings, and urban green spaces through schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana can ease heat stress nationwide. Telangana’s mandatory cool-roofing rules show how policy can mainstream such measures.
3. Robust data and evidence. Assigning a lead agency to track heat-related deaths and map vulnerabilities will sharpen risk assessments and guide targeted action.
4. Technology for early warnings. AI-driven prediction models can refine heat alerts, while public campaigns, potentially including heatwave naming, can encourage adaptive behaviours.

5. Community-centred support. Programmes like MGNREGS could fund shaded worksites or alternate jobs during extreme heat. A digital multi-stakeholder platform would help governments, civil society, and business coordinate resources and avoid duplication.
6. Private-sector engagement. Incentivising affordable, energy-efficient cooling technologies and piloting climate-smart urban projects will expand the solution set beyond public budgets.

Together, these measures would align legal authority, finance, technology, and community action, creating a comprehensive framework to reduce heat-related deaths, protect livelihoods, and build climate resilience across India.