Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable

The document details the implementation of South Asia's first Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, which has since influenced 17 cities and 11 Indian states. It outlines the multifaceted threats of heat waves—including health risks, economic productivity loss, and infrastructure damage—and provides a framework for preparedness through early warning systems, public awareness, medical capacity building, and long-term urban adaptation like 'cool roofs'. The guide emphasizes the roles of political will, inter-agency partnerships, and scientific evidence in successfully scaling these interventions.

• Heat waves are a significant cause of mortality in India, ranking as the second most deadly disaster event after floods over the last decade, with 3,547 known deaths.
• The threat of extreme heat is amplified in urban environments by the 'urban heat-island effect', caused by a lack of vegetation, higher air pollution, and heat-absorbent building materials.
• Ahmedabad implemented South Asia's first Heat Action Plan in 2013 following research that revealed 1,344 excess deaths during a 2010 heat wave, a figure significantly higher than the 47 officially reported deaths.
• The Ahmedabad model has demonstrated effectiveness; during a major 2015 heat wave that caused 2,300 deaths across India, Ahmedabad reported fewer than 20 heat-related deaths.
• By June 2017, the heat action planning approach had scaled up to include 17 cities and 11 states in India, supported by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which expanded five-day maximum temperature forecasts to over 300 cities.
• Heat Action Plans consist of four central components: early warning systems and inter-agency coordination, public awareness and community outreach, medical capacity building, and long-term adaptation measures to reduce the urban heat-island effect.
• A 'cool roofs' initiative in Ahmedabad's slums, which involved painting roofs with white reflective paint, surpassed its initial goal of 500 roofs to reach 3,000.

APA

Kirbyshire, A., & Paul, A. (2017). Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Heatwave-Guide_FINAL-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Kirbyshire, Amy, and Aditi Paul. Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Heatwave-Guide_FINAL-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kirbyshire |first1=Amy |last2=Paul |first2=Aditi |title=Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=November 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Heatwave-Guide_FINAL-WEB.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kirbyshire2017heat, author = {Kirbyshire, Amy and Paul, Aditi}, title = {{Heat action plans: Scaling up India’s ambition to protect the climate-vulnerable}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Heatwave-Guide_FINAL-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }