Bengaluru, India — India has experienced some reprieve after enduring its most severe heatwave in over a decade, witnessing temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in various regions, which reportedly caused significant fatalities and illnesses. However, experts claim that the recorded death toll does not fully factor in the actual extent of calamity, potentially undermining future preventative strategies against predictable climatic extremes.
The recent cooling period comes as heavy monsoon rains challenge northeastern parts of the country, yet public health experts synthesize the data indicating thousands likely succumbed to the heat, rather than the hundreds officially reported. This apparent underreporting of heat-connected fatalities suggests a significant gap in the crisis’s documentation, which could impede efforts to bolster resilience to future heatwaves.
The past decade alone has seen all of India’s warmest years, with studies highlighting an average of 1,116 heat-induced fatalities annually between 2008 and 2019. Notwithstanding, the accuracy of this data is hampered by systemic flaws in how death causes are recorded, often omitting heat as a contributing factor.
In addressing this issue, Srinath Reddy from the Public Health Foundation of India has guided regional governments on revising death certification processes. Yet, he notes persistent hurdles such as inconsistent reporting practices and resource constraints in public hospitals, which hinder comprehensive data collection. Most physicians, according to Reddy, typically report only immediate causes of death, with scant attention to environmental contributors like extreme temperatures.
Further complicating the issue is the way heat-related deaths are categorized. Dileep Mavalankar, former director at the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, mentions two types of heat fatalities: exertional, directly caused by high temperatures, and non-exertional, where vulnerable groups such as the elderly or those with chronic diseases are indirectly affected. Often, deaths in the latter category are not recorded as heat-related, obscuring the true impact of heatwaves.
Despite these challenges, steps have been taken to mitigate the impact of heatwaves. In 2013, after a devastating heatwave killed over 1,300 people in Ahmedabad, a comprehensive heat action plan was introduced. This plan provided shaded workspaces, transformed public facilities into temporary shelters, and ensured adequate medical supplies and staff were available during peaks of extreme heat. Mavalankar’s team, assessing its effectiveness, found that implementing these measures might have reduced heatwave mortality rates by up to 40%.
These findings underscore the importance of accurate and detailed heat-related fatality data. Without it, it’s nearly impossible to plan effectively and allocate resources to protect the most vulnerable populations from the devastating effects of extreme temperatures.
However, experts contend that data management and sharing at a national scale remain inadequate for meaningful extrapolation and application of successful initiatives like those in Ahmedabad. Improved data collection is crucial not only for local planning but also for crafting nationwide policies and response strategies in one of the world’s most populous countries, facing an undeniable surge in climatic irregularities.
A diligent national effort is essential in addressing data discrepancies and ensuring a cohesive plan against heatwaves is systematically implemented across all regions, ensuring no one is left vulnerable to rising temperatures. This endeavor isn’t just significant for India; it offers a crucial blueprint for other nations grappling with similar climatic challenges amid global warming.