India is experiencing increasingly frequent and intense heat waves driven by climate change. A study released earlier this year identified a “high to very high” heat risk faced by 57 per cent of Indian districts, which house approximately 76 per cent of India’s population. In 2024 alone, over 40,000 heatstroke cases and 110 confirmed deaths were reported. The growing frequency and severity of heat disasters first prompted cities like Ahmedabad — and eventually other states and cities — to develop comprehensive Heat Action Plans (HAPs) as their frontline policy response. These were aimed at reducing heat-related illnesses and deaths through a mix of early warnings, public awareness, and emergency response protocols. While India now has over 100 HAPs, most still overlook the structural social vulnerabilities that shape heat risk.
Rethinking Vulnerability in India’s Heat Action Plans (Alisha Mehra – Observer Research Foundation)
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