Heat Action Plans

Source-This post on Heat Action Plans has been created based on the article “On India’s ‘heat action plans’” published in “The Hindu’’ on 17 April 2024.

UPSC Syllabus–GS Paper-3-Disaster management

Context– This year heat alerts have already begun from February itself. Parts of northeastern and western India are already experiencing significantly warmer temperatures (3.1-5 degrees Celsius above normal) ahead of summer.
The IMD has also predicted an increase in the maximum temperature and the frequency of heatwave conditions in the upcoming days over eastern and southern India. This raises question about India’s readiness to face heat wave effectively.

What is a heat wave?

Definition– Heat waves are prolonged periods of excessively hot weather that can cause adverse impacts on human health, the environment, and the economy.

Criteria for Declaring Heat Wave in India

Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree C or more for plains and at least 30 degree C or more for hilly regions.

A) Based on Departure from Normal

Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.50 C to 6.40 C

Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.40C

B) Based on Actual Maximum Temperature

Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 45 degree C

Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47degree C

If the above criteria are met in at least 2 stations in a Meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days, it is declared so on the second day.

For coastal areas – When maximum temperature departure is 4.5 degree C or more from normal, heat wave may be described provided actual maximum temperature is 37 degree C or more.

What is a heat action plan?

1) Aim– Its aim is to increase preparedness and lower the adverse impacts of extreme heat by outlining strategies and measures to prepare for, address, and recover from heatwaves.

2) Mapping Heat Risks-They give an overview of each region’s heat conditions, showing past heatwaves, trends in summer temperatures, land surface temperature, and more. Then, they assess vulnerability to identify areas needing urgent attention and plan a response.

3) Collaborative Efforts-The National Disaster Management Authority and IMD are working with 23 States to develop HAPs. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of various line departments, such as the disaster management authority, labour department, and police.

4) Significance– In the wake of the rising severity and frequency of heatwaves nationwide, governments at different levels, state, district, and city have formulated heat action plans (HAPs).

What are the recommendations of heat action plan?

1) Recommendation for short term

A) Early warning– It recommends the use of forecasts and early warning systems to alert the public and relevant authorities about heatwaves.

B) Awareness- It suggests informing the public through awareness campaigns that share information about the risks linked with heatwaves.

C) Structural Measures-It recommends the building of heat shelters and cooling centres.

D) Guidelines to Hospitals: It asks hospitals to have enough supplies and trained healthcare workers to recognize and treat many patients with heat-related illnesses.

2) Recommendation for long term

A) Sustainable urbanization– It recommends using urban planning methods such as planting trees, using heat-resistant building materials, and employing cool roofing technologies. This helps in reducing the urban heat island effect and lowers the indoor temperatures.

B) Multi-stakeholder coordination– It pushes for effective coordination among different groups, like government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, and emergency services.

What are the challenges in the smooth implementation of Heat Action Plans?

1) The local context- The existing Heat Action Plan does not take local conditions like the urban heat island effect, the type of roofing, and proximity to water or green bodies into consideration before formulating their strategies to combat heatwave.

2) Inconsistent methods– The methods adopted by various heat action plans to conduct vulnerability assessments are inconsistent.

2) Lack of recognition of various socio-economic differences– There is a lack of dedicated intervention which considers the different needs of people based on local social and demographic factors.

4) Resource Allocation-Implementation of HAPs differs a lot based on what local governments prioritize and the resources they have. That’s why it’s important to have dedicated budgets for implementing HAPs.

5) Working in silos-HAPs are individual plans with no integration with broader plans of urban resilience and climate adaptation. As a result, there’s no pooling of resources for effective implementation.

What should be the way forward?

1) Enhancing Heatwave Definition– There is a need to broaden the definition of heatwaves by also including humid heat, warmer nights, and extreme dry heat. This requires development of heat index that considers more than just temperature.

2) Comprehensive Climate Risk Assessment– There is a need to transition to a robust, full-fledged climate risk assessment that can identify the possibility of heatwaves in different areas and figure out how much people and important things may be affected by heatwaves.
Further, geospatial data should be used for hotspot mapping that will help in   prioritizing and formulating targeted interventions.

3) Collaborative Planning for Heatwave Protection –There is a need to hold dialogues between the state, civil society organizations, and worker unions to devise a financial mechanism that can allow informal workers to be indoors during a heatwave without losing their incomes.

4) Integration with broader plan– HAPs should be integrated with broader action plans that promote urban resilience and climate adaptation. This will enhance the effectiveness of HAP because of improved data collection and monitoring systems.

Nature-based solutions should be incorporated to tackle extreme heat in areas that are particularly affected to improve the effectiveness of HAPs.

Question for practice

What are the recommendations of heat action plan? What are the challenges in the smooth implementation of Heat Action Plans?