INTRODUCTION

India Meteorological Department: Established in 1875 at Shimla and later shifted to New Delhi, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) centralised meteorological work in India under Mr. H. F. Blanford as Meteorological Reporter. 

Heat wave:A heatwave refers to dangerously high air temperatures, determined qualitatively by the risk they pose to human health and quantitatively by specific temperature thresholds for each region. In India, the IMD declares a heatwave if maximum temperatures exceed 40°C in the plains, 37°C in coastal areas, and 30°C in hilly regions.

Heat Action Plan (HAP):Heat action plans (HAPs) serve as the primary policy response to economically damaging and life-threatening heatwaves. They outline various activities, disaster responses, and post-heatwave measures aimed at reducing the impact of heatwaves.

Heat Action Plans (HAPs) are guidance documents prepared by state, district, and city

governments to help prepare for, respond to, and recover and learn from heat waves.

One of their most important functions is to direct scarce healthcare, financial,

information, and infrastructural resources to those most vulnerable to extreme heat

in that jurisdiction.

Features

• General Pattern : HAPs in India typically include an overview of regional heat profiles, past heatwave occurrences, and trends in summer temperatures. They also assess vulnerability and propose response strategies involving multiple departments like disaster management, labour, and police, detailing roles and responsibilities before, during, and after a heatwave.

• Heat early warning systems: Facilitate early heatwave detection and enable prompt intervention. Colour-coded alert systems signalling increasing heat levels prompt coordinated responses from authorities during extreme heat, notifying residents.

• For example, the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan (HAP) utilises meteorological data to forecast heatwaves, triggering actions like opening cooling centres and arranging transportation for vulnerable populations.
  
  

• Communicating heat risks: Increasing awareness about heat wave dangers and safety measures. Specialised initiatives target vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with prolonged heat exposure from their occupations.

• Example: Delhi's HAP conducts a targeted campaign for vulnerable groups, offering advice like staying hydrated and avoiding strenuous activities during heatwaves
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• Heat response measures: During heatwaves it safeguards vulnerable populations and mitigates heat-related risks.Urban heat island mitigation methods, like green infrastructure and expanding green spaces, are incorporated while traffic and congestion reduction policies are streamlined.

• Example: Mumbai's HAP implements a response plan involving cooling centres, transportation assistance, and monitoring vulnerable individuals, alongside initiatives to combat urban heat islands through tree planting and green space expansion.
  
  

• Coordination among agencies: Collaboration between government agencies, healthcare providers, and community organisations to ensure an effective response to heatwaves.
  
  

• Enhancing public awareness: Involves educating people about the dangers of heatwaves and effective safety measures, with campaigns playing a crucial role in reducing heat-related illnesses and fatalities.

Importance

• Uncontrollable temperature: Temperatures exceed 45°C in certain areas like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal as heat extends its reach.
  
  
  

• Rising disastrous heat waves:In the last 50 years, India has witnessed over 700 heatwave incidents resulting in over 17,000 fatalities, as per a 2021 study published in the Weather and Climate Extremes journal.

• Silent Killer :Heatwaves, while less attention-grabbing than earthquakes or floods, have claimed a significant number of lives in India until recently, causing 24,223 deaths between 1992 and 2015.
  
  
  

• Disadvantaged are more prone:Most victims of heat waves were impoverished individuals working in unorganised sectors like daily-wage labourers and street vendors, forced to toil outdoors for economic sustenance. Their inability to escape outdoor work makes them especially susceptible to the hazards of heatwave conditions.
  
  

• Economic stress - The International Labour Organisation anticipates a 5.8% rise in work hours lost due to heat stress by 2030, amounting to 34 million jobs, spanning outdoor industries like agriculture and mining, as well as indoor sectors lacking adequate air conditioning, such as manufacturing, hospitality, and transportation.

Issues with current HAPs

• Disregard for regional differences - National heatwave thresholds set the standard, yet localised assessments are essential at state, district, and city levels. Urban factors like the urban heat island effect, roofing types, and proximity to water influence temperatures, urging the need for localized determinations beyond just humidity.
  
  

• Inconsistent techniques - Many HAPs lack consistent vulnerability assessments due to varied methods. A comprehensive climate risk assessment is needed to predict heatwave likelihoods, estimate people and asset exposures, and address inherent vulnerabilities.
  
  

• Implementation Challenges: HAPs are guidelines rather than legal mandates, which means bureaucrats may not be accountable for delays in implementation. In many cases, important provisions of HAPs have been implemented only if a bureaucrat or a politician felt like doing so. 

• Absence of tailored intervention - Lacking tailored interventions that consider the diverse requirements of communities, considering local social, demographic, and infrastructure factors. The informal sector, representing over 90% of India's economy, prominently features pushcart vendors, tea sellers, domestic workers, and sanitation staff, underscoring the need for targeted support.
  
  

• Resource deficiency - The execution of HAPs varies widely based on local government priorities and available capacities, often hindered by the lack of dedicated budgets. Additionally, the absence of dialogue between state entities, civil society organisations, and worker unions prevents the co-planning of financial mechanisms to support informal workers during heat waves without income loss.
  
  

• Lack of transparency: There is no national repository of HAPs and very few HAPs are listed online. Further, it is unclear whether these HAPs are being updated periodically and whether this is based on evaluation data.India also needs better data on heat-related deaths and morbidity.

• Example: While NDMA has claimed that heat-related deaths had come down from over 2,000 in 2015 to just four in 2020, an analysis of National Crime Records Bureau data calculates 1,274 heat-related deaths in India in 2019. 

Global Examples

• European Countries

• HEAT-SHIELD - Project by EU endeavours to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly rising workplace temperatures, on the workforce.
  
  

• Heat-Health Action Plan (HHAP) & Heat-Health Warning System (HHWS) -  The collective strategy of national or regional authorities in various European countries to address health risks from extreme heat is commonly known as a Heat-Health Action Plan (HHAP), with its weather-based alert system called the Heat-Health Warning System (HHWS).

• International Organisations

• WMO and WHO have jointly created guidance for practitioners in National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and National Health Services (NHSs), addressing the heat-health issue and how to develop effective heat-health warning systems (HHWSs) within broader heat-health action plans (HHAPs), focusing on practical rather than prescriptive approaches

• India

• First HAP - Ahmedabad municipality partnered with the Indian Institute of Public Health and American academies to develop the country’s first heat action plan (HAP) in 2013.
  
  

• Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas - The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has compiled a Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India, covering thirteen of the most perilous meteorological phenomena, including Heat Waves.

• USA

• Extreme Heat Action Plan - Governor of California collaborated with the Legislature to allocate an $800 million budget package last year to safeguard California from heat, with $300 million earmarked for the Extreme Heat Action Plan and other initiatives to protect communities and the environment. In the 2022-23 budget, the Governor proposes allocating this additional funding to support the implementation of the Extreme Heat Action Plan
  
  

• Climate Adaptation Strategy - Progress on implementing the Extreme Heat Action Plan will be monitored via the California Climate Adaptation Strategy's yearly reporting, bolstering the state's comprehensive climate adaptation efforts.

Way forward

• Setting an expert committee: Heat is not currently recognized as a disaster eligible for mitigation and relief funds under the National and State Disaster Risk Management Funds (N/SDRMFs). An expert committee should reconsider this decision, informed by the latest science and HAP implementation experience.

• Effective monitoring: Make regular monitoring the centrepiece of the annual evaluation process, ensuring interventions effectively reach vulnerable groups and reduce exposure.

• Technological progress - Incorporating granular scale heat vulnerability and hotspot mapping assessments, leveraging the latest advancements in geospatial technology and field-based assessments, is essential for enhancing the effectiveness and impact of our Heat Action Plans (HAPs).

• Knowledge Sharing: Several states and cities are simultaneously experimenting with different combinations of solutions with varying levels of effectiveness. It is important to create platforms to exchange which solutions and processes work.

• Example: Ahmedabad's Cool Roofs Program aims to mitigate urban heat island effects. These roofs reflect sunlight and reduce indoor temperatures by up to 5°C, benefiting vulnerable residents.

• Addressing regional variations: Expanding heatwave definitions to include local factors and developing regional-specific Heat Action Plans (HAPs) is vital for effective strategies in combating extreme temperatures.

• Anticipatory cash transfers: Provide financial assistance to vulnerable populations before the onset of the crisis, enabling them to prepare and mitigate its impacts effectively.

•  Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has introduced an Extreme Heat Insurance product for its members with support from Rockefeller Foundation.

• Public Awareness and Outreach: Utilising various media channels for disseminating preventive measures against heat waves, including pamphlets, advertisements, and social media campaigns, to educate and protect vulnerable populations.

• Resource Management: Allocate specific funding for Heat Action Plans (HAPs) to ensure their efficient execution. Foster discussions among stakeholders to establish financial systems aiding informal workers during heatwaves.
  
  

• Collaborative Integration: Fuse Heat Action Plans (HAPs) with wider urban resilience and climate adaptation strategies to maximise resource efficiency. Enhance data gathering and monitoring frameworks to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of HAPs.

• Expand risk assessments: HAPs should assess how risks compound across demographics and livelihoods. For instance, elderly individuals working outdoors face different risks than those working indoors. Additionally, vulnerable groups should include informal home-based workers.

Getting future ready: India faces a clear scientific forecast of more frequent and intense heat waves, hotter days and nights, and shifts in seasons. HAP revisions should incorporate high-resolution climate projections and past temperature trends to transform them into proactive tools for heat planning rather than merely reactive ones for heat management.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there is a pressing requirement to implement Heat Action Plans (HAPs) to alleviate the negative effects of heatwaves, given the increasing unpredictability of climate change and the resulting surge in extreme weather incidents. Just as the

Tags:
Polity

Keywords:
Heat Action Plan Climate Change Global Warming