Heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the pre-monsoon (April to June) summer season. According to Indian Meteorological Department, Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains, 37°C or more for coastal stations and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.

Body:

Effects:

Social:

• Heatwaves are associated with increased rates of heat stress and heat stroke, worsening heart failure and acute kidney injury from dehydration.
• Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
• Promote the spread of diseases like cholera and dengue fever across endemic areas.
• Increased poverty due to failure of crops and reduced economic activities.

Economic:

• India lost nearly 75 billion hours of labour in 2017 as a result of rising temperatures.
• This made sustained work increasingly difficult and negatively affecting workers’ output.
• The agriculture sector experienced the largest increase in labour loss.
• Almost 153 billion hours of labour were lost globally in 2017 due to heat, an increase of 62 billion hours from the year 2000.
• Agriculture sector was more vulnerable compared to the industrial and service sectors because workers there were more likely to be exposed to heat.
• Since 1990, every region of the globe has become steadily more vulnerable to extreme increases of heat.

State actions towards Heat waves assessing their geographic variations:

• Key element of many states response strategy has been enhancing health risk communications on the impact of heat waves and how citizens can take simple steps to reduce their exposure and protect their health.
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • Andhra Pradesh has strong inter-agency coordination across multiple departments
  • Andhra Pradesh has also set up 1168 stations approximately one for every hundred square kilometers for weather forecasting and modelling.
  • It has developed a mobile app to disseminate information about heat waves and advice on precautionary steps; the app is available in English and Telugu.
• Telangana:
  • Telangana developed one of the first state-wide heat action plans in 2016.
  • The state is now integrating the heat action plan with its action plan on climate change.
  • The Telangana plan focuses on training district officials and health staff
• Odisha:
  • It has declared heat waves as a state specific disaster.
  • It is developing local thresholds and analyzing vulnerability of communities in different parts of the state.
  • Odisha’s activities focus on awareness raising, capacity building and training of healthcare staff, interagency coordination, and enabling provision of water for vulnerable communities.
• Various states and municipalities have introduced early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and increased training for medical professionals.
• Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Odisha have made pioneering efforts with respect to heat-health warning systems (HHWS).
• Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has adopted a heat action plan which necessitates measures such as building heat shelters, ensuring availability of water and removing neonatal ICU from the top floor of hospitals.
• Such warning systems include providing weather forecasts in advance, issuing warnings to people, providing readiness of emergency response systems, and preparing doctors and health facilities to handle a sudden influx of patients. Warnings facilitate people in taking appropriate actions against heat-related harm.
• Access to cool environments remains the mainstay of preventing heat stress:
  • In rural areas, where electricity access is a challenge, supplementing power supply of primary health centres with solar-based systems should be undertaken. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tripura have already deployed such systems.

Way forward:

• In 2016, the National Disaster Management Agency prepared guidelines for state governments to formulate action plans for the prevention and management of heat waves, outlining four key strategies:
  • Forecasting heat waves and enabling an early warning system
  • Building capacity of healthcare professionals to deal with heat wave-related emergencies
  • Community outreach through various media
  • Inter-agency cooperation as well as engagement with other civil society organizations in the region.
• Scientific Approach:
  • Climate data from the last 15-20 years can be correlated with the mortality and morbidity data to prepare a heat stress index and city-specific threshold.
  • Vulnerable areas and population could be identified by using GIS and satellite imagery for targeted actions.
• Advance implementation of local Heat Action Plans, plus effective inter-agency coordination is a vital response which the government can deploy in order to protect vulnerable groups.
• This will require identification of “heat hot spots”, analysis of meteorological data and allocation of resources to crisis-prone areas.
• The India Cooling Action Plan must emphasize the urgency and need for better planning, zoning and building regulations to prevent Urban Heat Islands.
• Provision of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
• Promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
• Popularisation of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing materials.