Addressing vulnerability to the health risks of extreme heat in urbanising Ahmedabad, India

This research paper describes the development and implementation of the Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, India, the first such comprehensive effort in South Asia. The plan focuses on reducing heat-related morbidity and mortality through an early warning system, public awareness campaigns, and capacity building for healthcare professionals, driven by a coalition of local government, academic, and international partners.

• Ahmedabad implemented the first comprehensive Heat Action Plan in South Asia, adopted ahead of the 2013 heat season to protect residents from heat-related illness and death.
• The Heat Action Plan is built on three primary strategic activities: building public awareness through media and outreach, establishing an interagency early warning system, and increasing the capacity of healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat heat-related illnesses.
• A vulnerability assessment of 300 slum households (approximately 1,650 individuals) identified eight key factors that exacerbate heat vulnerability: age, income, pre-existing conditions, work location, drinking water access, access to doctors, access to information, and social connectedness.
• The plan established a formal internal communication structure led by a 'nodal officer' in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) health department, who coordinates heat alerts via email, phone, and text to government agencies, NGOs, and the media.
• Public outreach for the 2013 season included the distribution of 6,000 pamphlets in English and Gujarati, the placement of 10 billboards, and the attachment of 150 banners to buses and rickshaws to reach illiterate and non-English speaking populations.
• Key barriers to the plan's success included a lack of initial perception of heat waves as disasters, difficulties in collecting temperature and mortality data, and limited budgets and time.

APA

Shah, T., Mavalankar, D., Jaiswal, A., & Connolly, M. (2015). Addressing vulnerability to the health risks of extreme heat in urbanising Ahmedabad, India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CDKN-Ahmedabad-Paper.pdf

Chicago

Shah, Tejas, Dileep Mavalankar, Anjali Jaiswal, and Meredith Connolly. Addressing vulnerability to the health risks of extreme heat in urbanising Ahmedabad, India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CDKN-Ahmedabad-Paper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shah |first1=Tejas |last2=Mavalankar |first2=Dileep |last3=Jaiswal |first3=Anjali |last4=Connolly |first4=Meredith |title=Addressing vulnerability to the health risks of extreme heat in urbanising Ahmedabad, India |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=March 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CDKN-Ahmedabad-Paper.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shah2015addressing, author = {Shah, Tejas and Mavalankar, Dileep and Jaiswal, Anjali and Connolly, Meredith}, title = {{Addressing vulnerability to the health risks of extreme heat in urbanising Ahmedabad, India}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CDKN-Ahmedabad-Paper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }