India is gearing up for another scorching summer, with temperatures set to soar next month. However, a recent report reveals that the country’s heat action plans are grossly inadequate, failing to account for the local context and lacking appropriate financial backing, which puts vulnerable populations at high risk of heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
Inadequate Heat Action Plans Endangering Vulnerable Populations
According to the Centre for Policy Research, 37 regional and federal heat action plans in India are not regularly updated or have separate budgets in most cases. Additionally, they have no legal support to implement them, and the most vulnerable populations in any given region are not identified in the plans. This lack of preparedness is alarming, considering at least 26,000 people have died due to heat in the last 30 years in India alone. It is usually the residents of urban slums, people with longstanding health issues, older or pregnant people, workers in small, enclosed spaces, farmers and construction workers who fall under this category.
The Need for Improved Heat Response
Heat plans started after blistering heat waves in 2010 killed over 800 people in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Since then several other plans have been made at the state and federal levels. South Asia’s first-ever response plan was created with initiatives like awareness programs specialized training for health care professionals and installing roofs made of cooling materials like coconut husks and paper waste. However, changes are needed in the heat response system, such as labelling heat waves as disasters, regularly monitoring and evaluating heat action plans, establishing laws that implement the plans and ensuring that they have enough funding.
Humidity and Climate Change’s Role in Increasing Risks
Increasing humidity due to human-caused climate change is also a major concern, with it being particularly dangerous in southern India, where relatively lower temperatures can be fatal in moist air. A wet bulb temperature of more than 35°C means that a human body cannot cool itself through perspiration, posing a severe threat to life. A 2021 report highlighted that India will likely lose the most work hours in the world, greater than 100 billion hours every year, as a result of scorching heat.
The Dire Consequences of Inadequate Preparedness
Climate scientists are worried about the increased risk of deaths if human body temperatures cross the “wet bulb” threshold of 35°C. A Lancet study found a 55% increase in fatalities in India between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021 due to extreme heat. Additionally, India experienced its hottest February in 122 years earlier this year, with heatwaves expected to hit the country from March till May.
Requiring Local Context for Effective Heat Plans
Heat action plans must be targeted at the local context and vulnerable populations to be effective. Currently, HAPs focus on broad categories such as the elderly, outdoor workers, and pregnant women, but only two specifically target vulnerable groups within these categories. Moreover, the plans lack funds, capacity building transparency and a local heat research ecosystem. It is essential that they move beyond their current scope to study the nature and distribution of local heat, employment trends and built environments to build accurate targeting mechanisms for interventions it prescribes.
Title: Overhauling India’s Heat Action Plans Vital to Protecting Populations in Danger
India’s vulnerability to extreme heat could significantly change the country’s economic trajectory and health outcomes overall. With over three-quarters of the Indian labor force employed in heat-exposed sectors, loss of life and income can ensue from hot weather. Therefore, improved preparedness is crucial as policymakers must devise better heat plans by studying the social distribution of risk, conduct vulnerability assessments and integrate climate projections into planning.
Overcoming Shortcomings is Critical to Saving Lives
Most heat action plans currently fail to conduct vulnerability assessments, have a limited view of the social distribution of risk and none build climate projections into planning. As seen in the report, many HAPs lack appropriate financial backing and are not notified under existing laws, limiting their funding and compliance. It remains unclear how many HAPs exist in the country or its extent of coverage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is an urgent need for India to overhaul its heat action plans to account for humidity, local context and vulnerable populations. Given the staggering loss of life every year due to heat-related illnesses, policymakers must prioritize better preparedness measures that protect all people from the dangers of extreme heat.
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