HEATWAVES DECLARED AS NATURAL DISASTERS

Why In News?

State governments have gained full financial access to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) following the official notification of heatwaves as a national natural disaster.

What is a Heatwave?

A Heatwave is a prolonged period of abnormally high temperatures, relative to the expected temperature of the region, which causes physiological stress and adverse socio-economic impacts.

Meteorological Department (IMD) Classification Criteria:

• Plains: Maximum temperature reaches at least 40°C.

• Coastal Areas: Maximum temperature reaches at least 37°C.

• Hilly Regions: Maximum temperature reaches at least 30°C.

Categorisation based on Departure from Normal:

• Heatwave: Departure from normal temperature is 4.5°C to 6.4°C.

• Severe Heatwave: Departure from normal temperature is > 6.4°C.

Categorisation based on Absolute Temperature (for Plains):

• Heatwave: Maximum temperature ≥ 45°C.

• Severe Heatwave: Maximum temperature ≥ 47°C.

Warm Night Condition: Occurs when maximum day temperature is ≥ 40°C and nighttime minimum temperature is ≥ 4.5°C to 6.4°C above normal, preventing biological cooling and amplifying heat stress.

Impact of Heatwaves

Severe Public Health Toll: Causes acute heat stroke, hyperthermia, fatal electrolyte imbalances, dehydration, and cardiovascular strain, particularly among outdoor labourers, the elderly, and children.

Agricultural Yield Degradation: Induces terminal heat stress in rabi crops (e.g., wheat desiccation during grain-filling stage), reduces soil moisture, and lowers dairy livestock milk yields by 10% to 25%.

Loss of Labour Productivity: Extreme heat forces working-hour curtailment; India risks losing 5.8% of total working hours by 2030 due to heat stress, equating to 34 million full-time jobs. (Source: ILO)

Power Grid Stress & Peak Demand Surges: Widespread air conditioning usage creates steep evening load peaks, overheating transformers and straining the stability of the electrical transmission network.

Water Scarcity & Urban Heat Island (UHI) Amplification: Accelerates evaporation in surface reservoirs while dense urban concrete and asphalt trap heat, raising city temperatures by 3°C to 7°C above surrounding rural baselines.

Framework of Managing Heatwaves

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Guidelines: Provides national frameworks for state and district authorities to draft, test, and implement localized Heat Action Plans (HAPs).

City-Level Heat Action Plans (HAPs): Multi-agency operational frameworks that establish emergency protocols, adjust school/work timings, set up shaded shelters, and ensure hospital surge capacity.

Impact-Based Early Warning Systems: IMD disseminates 5-day heatwave forecasts and district-level color-coded alerts to district disaster management authorities (DDMAs) via automated SMS and mobile apps.

Inter-Agency Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Coordinating municipal water tankers, labour department work-rest cycles, transport cooling shelters, and primary health centre hydration wards.

Recent Changes in Disaster Financing

10% Local Disaster Window under SDRF: States can utilize up to 10% of their annual SDRF allocation to provide immediate relief and emergency support for state-specific disasters not on the central list (including heatwaves).

Operationalisation of Mitigation Funds (SDMF & NDMF): Under the 15th Finance Commission framework, dedicated mitigation funds allow pre-disaster investments in cool roofs, green buffers, and heat-resilient urban infrastructure rather than only post-calamity relief.

Inclusion of Heatwaves in Recovery & Reconstruction Guidelines: The Ministry of Home Affairs updated norms allowing states to utilize disaster funds for capacity building, heat-stroke treatment units, and community cooling hubs.

What are the Major Challenges in Managing Heatwaves?

Absence from Central Notified List: Restricts states from seeking additional supplementary funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) when state SDRF funds deplete.

Severe Underreporting of Heatwave Mortality: Heat-related deaths are routinely categorized under secondary causes (such as heart failure, kidney dysfunction, or respiratory arrest), resulting in poor epidemiological tracking.

Socio-Economic Vulnerability of Informal Workers: Daily-wage workers, street vendors, and construction labour cannot afford to skip work despite extreme heat advisories due to poverty.

Unfunded Heat Action Plans (HAPs): While 300 cities possess HAPs, over 4,400 urban local bodies (ULBs) lack dedicated statutory budgets or scientific local temperature thresholds. (Source: CEEW)

Intensifying Urban Heat Islands (UHI): Rapid urban sprawl, glass-façade architecture, and vanishing urban water bodies aggravate nocturnal heat stress.

What India Can Learn from Domestic and International Successful Models

Domestic Successful Models

• Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan (2013): South Asia's first municipal HAP launched after the 2010 heatwave; introduced SMS early warnings, cool roofs on slum households, and dedicated hospital wards, preventing over 1,190 heat-related deaths annually.

• Telangana Cool Roof Policy (2023–2028): India's first state-wide mandatory cool roof policy, requiring high solar-reflective paint on commercial and residential roofs to lower indoor ambient temperatures by 2°C to 4°C.

• Odisha Heat Action Framework: Mandatory rescheduling of labour work shifts (mandatory break between 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM), free public water kiosks (Jal Chhatras), and ORS distribution corners across all public transit points.

• Delhi Bamboo-Based Cooling Shelters: Installing eco-friendly cooling transit hubs utilizing bamboo, vetiver grass curtains, and mist-based cooling to reduce local temperatures by 6°C to 7°C.

International Successful Models

• France — Plan Canicule (National Heatwave Plan): Formulated post-2003 European heatwave; maintains an automated vulnerable citizens registry, climate-controlled public cooling rooms, and nationwide TV/radio heat alerts.

• Spain — Seville Heatwave Categorisation & Naming System: The world's first city to name and categorize heatwaves into tiered categories (similar to tropical cyclones) to dramatically increase citizen risk awareness.

• Australia — Excess Heat Factor (EHF) Early Warning Service: Uses multi-day temperature anomalies and nocturnal minimums to evaluate biological acclimatization rather than simple daytime peak temperatures.

Way Forward

Formally Include Heatwaves in Central Notified Calamities: Expand the national statutory disaster list under the Disaster Management Act to permit direct NDRF financing for states enduring extreme heat emergencies.

Integrate Heat Action Plans into Municipal Master Plans: Mandate that all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) allocate statutory budget lines for cool roofs, shaded corridors, urban forestry, and micro-water bodies under AMRUT 2.0.

Mandate Universal Cool Roof Standards in Building Bye-Laws: Enforce cool roof guidelines across affordable housing projects (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) and industrial commercial warehouses to reduce cooling loads and indoor heat stress.

Enact Statutory Work-Rest Cycles for Outdoor Workers: Legally restrict outdoor manual labour between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM during Orange and Red alert days, backed by wage loss compensation or MGNREGA schedule adjustments.

Adopt Combined Heat Index (Temperature + Humidity) Thresholds: Shift from dry-bulb temperature thresholds to localized "Wet Bulb Temperature" and Heat Index metrics to assess true human survivability risks accurately.

Establish Dedicated Heat-Stroke Treatment Centres at Primary Health Centres (PHCs)/Community Health Centres (CHCs): Equip all primary health centres with rapid ice-immersion cooling tubs, intravenous fluids, and trained frontline healthcare workers.

Conclusion

Empowering states to utilize disaster response and mitigation funds for heatwaves transforms India's disaster management from episodic relief to comprehensive, life-saving climate resilience.

Source: THEHINDU