{"id":364325,"date":"2026-06-04T21:30:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=364325"},"modified":"2026-06-04T21:30:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:00:35","slug":"missing-in-indias-heat-action-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/missing-in-indias-heat-action-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing in India\u2019s Heat Action Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- <\/strong>Environment<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

India is witnessing more frequent, intense and prolonged heatwaves, along with rising humidity and warmer nights. These conditions are increasing health risks, reducing labour productivity and putting pressure on agriculture and energy systems. India has developed Heat Action Plans featuring early warnings, public awareness campaigns and emergency response measures. However, several critical aspects of heat adaptation, including thermal comfort, worker protection, climate-responsive infrastructure and effective implementation, remain inadequately addressed. This limits the overall effectiveness of heat resilience efforts.<\/p>\n

Growing Heatwave Challenge in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Extreme Temperatures Becoming Common:<\/strong> India accounted for 97 of the world’s 100 hottest cities<\/strong> during one phase of the 2026 heatwave. Temperatures between 45\u00b0C and 48\u00b0C<\/strong> are becoming increasingly common across many regions.<\/li>\n
  2. Heatwaves Lasting Longer:<\/strong> Heatwaves in India are becoming more persistent, with their duration increasing by 0.44 days per decade since 1961, indicating longer periods of extreme heat exposure.<\/li>\n
  3. Rising Night-Time Temperatures:<\/strong> Average night temperatures are increasing by about 0.21\u00b0C per decade<\/strong>. This reduces the body’s recovery time from daytime heat exposure.<\/li>\n
  4. Humidity Increasing Heat Stress:<\/strong> Average relative humidity increased from 67.1% during 2015\u201319<\/strong> to 71.2% during 2020\u201324<\/strong>. Higher humidity weakens the body’s natural cooling process.<\/li>\n
  5. Dangerous Wet-Bulb Conditions:<\/strong> A wet-bulb temperature of 35\u00b0C<\/strong> can become life-threatening even for healthy individuals. Some studies suggest harmful thresholds may be lower in certain locations.<\/li>\n
  6. Heat Exposure Is Unequal:<\/strong> Around 380 million workers<\/strong> are employed in heat-exposed sectors such as agriculture and construction. Only 8% of Indian households<\/strong> have air conditioning.<\/li>\n
  7. Vulnerable Groups Face Greater Risk:<\/strong> Elderly people, infants, outdoor workers and pregnant women face higher health risks. Extreme heat can also contribute to cardiovascular diseases, kidney failure, disturbed sleep and lower productivity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Existing India<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s Heat Response Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Early Warning and Alert System:<\/strong> The IMD issues impact-based heatwave forecasts through a four-tier colour-coded alert system\u2014Green, Yellow, Orange and Red\u2014to guide administrative preparedness and emergency response.<\/li>\n
    2. Decentralised Heat Action Plans:<\/strong> State, district and city-level Heat Action Plans operate across 23 heat-prone states and more than 270 districts<\/strong> to manage local heat risks.<\/li>\n
    3. Inter-Agency Coordination Mechanism:<\/strong> Heat Action Plans bring together health, labour, transport and municipal departments under a lead agency to ensure coordinated action during heat events.<\/li>\n
    4. Public Awareness and Community Outreach:<\/strong> Authorities conduct multilingual awareness campaigns and establish drinking water kiosks to help people reduce heat-related risks.<\/li>\n
    5. Healthcare Preparedness Measures:<\/strong> The National Action Plan on Heat-Related Illnesses supports training of medical personnel and strengthens healthcare facilities to manage heat-related cases.<\/li>\n
    6. Labour Protection Measures:<\/strong> Working hours for outdoor activities are adjusted or rescheduled to reduce heat exposure among construction and agricultural workers during peak temperature periods.<\/li>\n
    7. Dedicated Funding for Heat Resilience:<\/strong> States can utilise the National and State Disaster Mitigation Funds for proactive heatwave interventions, while the 16th Finance Commission has recommended recognising heatwaves as a notified national disaster.<\/li>\n
    8. Long-Term Cooling and Urban Resilience Initiatives:<\/strong> The India Cooling Action Plan promotes energy-efficient cooling and thermal comfort, while urban resilience measures encourage cool roofs, urban forests, reflective materials and heat-sensitive city planning<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Gaps in Existing Heat Action Plans<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Focus Remains on Emergency Measures:<\/strong> Most responses focus on alerts, hydration, cooling centres and behavioural advisories. Long-term adaptation measures receive comparatively less attention.<\/li>\n
      2. Clothing and Thermal Comfort Are Largely Ignored:<\/strong> Clothing directly affects the body’s cooling process, yet it is largely absent from heat policies. School uniforms, workplace dress codes and polyester-based clothing often prioritise cost and durability over breathability and thermal comfort.<\/li>\n
      3. Occupational Safety Standards Remain Incomplete:<\/strong> Existing workplace guidelines mainly emphasise hydration and rest breaks. Fabric performance and thermal comfort are rarely included in worker protection measures.<\/li>\n
      4. Informal Workers Remain Outside Protection Systems:<\/strong> Nearly 90% of India’s workforce<\/strong> works in the informal sector. Many workers lack access to formal safeguards during extreme heat.<\/li>\n
      5. Weak Implementation of Heat Action Plans:<\/strong> Heat Action Plans often struggle with enforcement and monitoring. Many informal workers and daily-wage labourers remain outside the protection framework.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Emerging Challenges Beyond Traditional Heat Planning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Electricity Demand Is Reaching Record Levels:<\/strong> India’s power demand crossed 270 GW<\/strong> for the first time, surpassing the previous peak of 243 GW<\/strong> recorded in 2025.<\/li>\n
        2. Night-Time Power Outages Increase Risk:<\/strong> Power cuts during hot nights prevent adequate cooling. This increases the health impacts of continuous day-night heat exposure.<\/li>\n
        3. Dependence on Coal Continues:<\/strong> Coal provides more than 75% of electricity during peak demand periods<\/strong>. Higher cooling demand is increasing reliance on fossil fuels.<\/li>\n
        4. Renewable Energy Faces Timing Constraints:<\/strong> Solar power supplied nearly a quarter of electricity during peak demand. However, solar generation falls sharply after sunset when cooling demand remains high.<\/li>\n
        5. Heat and Energy Create a Feedback Loop:<\/strong> More heat increases cooling demand. Greater cooling demand raises fossil fuel use, which can contribute to further warming.<\/li>\n
        6. Agriculture Faces Growing Losses:<\/strong> Every 1\u00b0C increase in temperature<\/strong> reduces average wheat yields by about 8%<\/strong>. Some severely affected areas have experienced losses of 15\u201325%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        7. Economic Costs Are Rising Rapidly:<\/strong> Heat exposure caused the loss of 247 billion potential labour hours<\/strong> and around $194 billion<\/strong> in economic losses. Productivity losses could reach 4.5% of GDP by 2030<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Building a Comprehensive Heat Adaptation Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. Integrating Clothing into Heat Adaptation:<\/strong> Clothing should be treated as part of climate adaptation and public health planning. School uniforms, workplace dress codes and occupational safety standards can promote breathable fabrics and thermal comfort to reduce heat stress.<\/li>\n
          2. Reforming Public Procurement Policies:<\/strong> Procurement systems can balance durability, affordability and breathability. Thermal comfort should become an important criterion.<\/li>\n
          3. Moving Beyond Cool Roofs:<\/strong> Heat adaptation should include walls, windows, ventilation systems and sustainable building materials. Cooling strategies should cover the entire building design.<\/li>\n
          4. Strengthening Heat Action Plan Implementation:<\/strong> Heat Action Plans require stronger regulatory backing and dedicated financing. Better enforcement can improve their effectiveness.<\/li>\n
          5. Protecting Informal Workers:<\/strong> Measures such as protective equipment, seasonal restrictions on outdoor work, passive cooling solutions and direct cash transfers can reduce heat vulnerability.<\/li>\n
          6. Promoting Innovation and Heat Finance:<\/strong> Technology, climate finance and industrial policy can support heat-resilient solutions. This approach can help build a future \u201ccool economy\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

            India’s Heat Action Plans have strengthened preparedness through forecasting, awareness and emergency measures, but important adaptation gaps continue to persist. Greater attention to thermal comfort, informal worker protection, climate-responsive infrastructure, effective implementation and sustainable financing is essential. As extreme heat becomes a recurring reality, heat governance must evolve towards a more comprehensive and inclusive adaptation framework.<\/p>\n

            Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Evaluate the effectiveness of India\u2019s Heat Action Plans in addressing the challenges posed by increasing heatwaves, and examine the key gaps that must be addressed to build a comprehensive heat adaptation framework.<\/p>\n

            Source<\/strong>: Indian Express<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- Environment Introduction India is witnessing more frequent, intense and prolonged heatwaves, along with rising humidity and warmer nights. These conditions are increasing health risks, reducing labour productivity and putting pressure on agriculture and energy systems. India has developed Heat Action Plans featuring early warnings, public awareness campaigns and emergency response… Continue reading Missing in India\u2019s Heat Action Plans<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[59,216,10500],"class_list":["post-364325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-environment","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-indian-express","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364325\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}