BENGALURU, India — India grappled with a severe heat wave earlier this year, with temperatures soaring above 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), marking the country’s most intense heat wave in more than a decade. The extreme weather claimed hundreds of lives and caused widespread illness, but experts warn that the recorded death toll vastly underreports the actual figures, raising concerns about future preparedness and response to similar events.
Recent months have provided some relief from the scorching temperatures, but the severe heat significantly impacted many areas, especially northern India, where officials reported over 110 heat-related deaths. Public health professionals, however, estimate that the true number likely reaches into the thousands annually, as heat often remains unlisted as a cause on death certificates, obscuring the actual impact and hindering efforts to prioritize heatwave issues.
India’s recent years, particularly the last decade, have consistently been the warmest on record. Data collected by public health experts reveal that each year from 2008 to 2019 saw up to 1,116 fatalities due to heat-related conditions.
The challenge of accurately tallying heat-related deaths is exacerbated by various factors, including incomplete reporting and the misclassification of the cause of death. Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India highlights that many doctors, especially in overcrowded public hospitals, fail to adhere to national guidelines for recording deaths, often noting only the immediate cause of death without considering environmental factors like heat exposure.
Experts categorize heat deaths as exertional and non-exertional. Exertional heat deaths result directly from high temperatures, while non-exertional deaths typically occur in vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, young children, or those with pre-existing health conditions who may not be directly exposed to the heat but are severely affected nonetheless. Dileep Mavalankar, a former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar, noted, “The heat wave acts as the final straw for many vulnerable individuals, whose deaths are then not recorded as heat-related.”
The significant underreporting of heatwave fatalities was evident this year; although 40,000 cases of heat stroke were recorded, only 110 deaths were officially attributed to the heat, a figure that Mavalankar criticized as disproportionately low.
In response to the deadly 2010 heat wave in Ahmedabad that killed more than 1,300 people, Mavalankar helped develop India’s first-ever heat action plan in 2013. This plan included strategies such as increasing shaded areas for outdoor workers, transforming cooler public buildings into temporary shelters, and ensuring hospitals were well-equipped and staffed during heatwaves. Subsequent evaluations of the plan suggest it reduced fatalities during heat waves by up to 40%.
Despite these successes, the lack of comprehensive national data hinders broader application of effective heat response plans. Mavalankar likened the issue to meteorological departments withholding weather data, emphasizing the need for openness and data sharing to improve heat preparedness across the country.
Systemic issues in data collection also impede progress. While some data on heat-related deaths is collected through various governmental agencies, discrepancies are common, and comprehensive, accessible information remains elusive. Bharghav Krishna, a public health expert and a fellow at the Sustainable Futures Collaborative, stressed the importance of detailed and shared data to better understand vulnerability and enhance protective measures for those at highest risk.
As India faces the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather, enhancing systems for data collection and expanding successful heat mitigation strategies are critical. Addressing these systemic issues urgently could significantly improve the country’s resilience to heatwaves and safeguard populations vulnerable to extreme temperatures.