India’s struggle with heatwaves

India’s rapid infrastructure growth is overshadowed by unprecedented heat waves, with 2023 marking one of the hottest years since the industrial revolution. This article explores the intensified impact of climate change, driven by El Niño, and examines institutional responses to these emerging threats, emphasising the need for proactive national measures.

India is currently undergoing a significant transformation, with its heavy infrastructure development paving the way for its future. However, amidst this phase of growth, Indian metropolises as well as other parts of the country are witnessing unprecedented heat waves. Much of the credit for this goes to the climate phenomenon known as El Niño (“The Little Boy”).

Subsequently, the year 2023 was earmarked as one of the hottest years recorded since the period of the industrial revolution. According to Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the month of May 2024 was the warmest May on record. This comes as part of a broader trend, with the last 12 months consistently setting new warming records.

As climate change has intensified, the impact of events that were previously just considered substantial disasters, such as oppressive heatwaves, is now emerging as an incident of grave occurrence. This article further delves into the institutional response to the emerging substantial disasters as new threats.

El Niño & La Niña

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned in its March forecast of longer and harsher heat waves to be endured during this summer between March and June, mainly due to prevailing El Niño conditions. According to the Director General, IMD, “a transition from El Niño to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral is expected by April-June 2024, and thereafter, La Niña is favoured in June-August 2024.”

El Niño is a climate phenomenon that is an anomaly induced by the abnormal warming of surface sea waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The unfolding of El Niño leads to a rise in temperatures and disrupts normal rainfall patterns globally, which subsequently results in large-scale dryness and droughts. Contrary to El Niño, La Nina (meaning “little girl” in Spanish) is a climate phenomenon characterised by the periodic cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Whenever there is La Nina, there is an expectation of a higher quantity of rain.

Heatwaves in India

According to data put forth by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), an estimated 56 deaths due to heat-related illnesses occurred from March to May 2024, with a staggering 46 of these deaths recorded in May alone (up to May 30). The nature of disasters India has witnessed is changing dramatically over the last two decades. There has been an increase in both the severity and frequency of heatwaves over the past decade.

Heatwaves as a Notified Disaster

Currently, there are 12 categories of disasters that are notified under the Disaster Management Act 2005 (DMA). These are cyclones, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, and frost and cold waves.

The Disaster Management Act 2005 is invoked categorically in cases of a notified disaster. The act holds a provision for state governments to withdraw money from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) at the national level and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) at the state level; both funds have been set up under the purview of the law. These funds cannot be used for any purpose other than the response and management of notified disasters.

The country reported 19,189 suspected cases of heat stroke in May 2024, highlighting the severity of rising temperatures and necessitating urgent intervention for a workable solution to address the health concerns associated with heat. Heatwaves, despite their intensity, have not yet been declared a possible calamity.

Way forward

Almost all the states vulnerable to heatwaves are equipped with Heat Action Plans (HAPs) that put forth a framework to address the impacts of extreme heat. Usually, HAPs include activities like the creation of shaded spaces, ensuring the availability of cool water in public places, the distribution of simple oral solutions, and reorganising the schedule of schools, colleges, and office working hours. Implementing such measures incurs a cost that urban authorities and local entities find difficult to bear. Hence, the demand for the inclusion of heat waves as notified disasters in the DM Act is emerging.

Despite reluctance from the Finance Commission to recognise heat waves as disasters, the 15th Finance Commission allows states to use up to 10% of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for local calamities, leading states like Haryana and Odisha to classify heat waves as local disasters. Utilising the SDRF may place additional burden on already depleting state exchequers, which in turn affects common citizens grappling with heatwaves and other local calamities. A significant intervention by the Union government is essential to addressing this dichotomy. To conclude this article, it is worth paying attention to the illuminating words of John F. Kennedy: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” Proactive national measures are crucial to mitigating these emerging challenges effectively.

The nature of disasters has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Over the past ten years, heatwaves have become more frequent and more severe.