Are heatwaves natural disasters? | Explained

The story so far: North India has been bearing the brunt of the longest stretch of a heatwave in the last 15 years. Figures from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare suggest that at least a 100 have died from heat-related illnesses from March 1 to June 18 across India though this is likely to be significantly under-reported. The high number of deaths have revived discussions on labelling heatwaves as a natural disaster.

Are heatwaves a natural disaster?

The National Disaster Management Act (NDMA) is the key piece of legislation governing the roles of the Centre and States in responding to a natural disaster. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal body that governs the execution of this Act. Several disaster management authorities draw their powers from this legislation and they define which natural calamities qualify for state-backed compensation. The legislation is also the genesis of special funds — at the State-level and the Centre — that can be drawn upon for a disaster. As of now, 12 disasters are notified in the Guidelines on Constitution and Administration of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), namely cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves. Heatwaves are yet to be included and this has to do with a government body that is unconnected to the institutions under the NDMA.

Which is this body?

The 15th Finance Commission, the constitutional body that decides upon the revenue sharing between the Centre and States, had in its report “observed” that the list of notified disasters eligible for funding from SDRF and NDRF covers the needs of the State to a large extent and thus did not find merit in the request to expand its scope. States have appealed to the Finance Commission to expand the scope of natural calamities that can be considered a disaster as this makes them eligible for more funds.

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However, in terms of the aforesaid guidelines, a State Government can use up to 10% of the annual fund allocation of the SDRF, with certain caveats, for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters, other than the aforesaid 12 disasters, that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within a local context in the State. Thus, compensation awarded to those confirmed by State authorities as having succumbed to heatwaves comes from these tranche. The 16th Finance Commission headed by economist Arvind Panagariya may review fresh requests by States.

Are heatwave deaths rising in India?

Heatwave deaths in India decreased from 1,127 in 2017 to 374 in 2021, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, though these are classified as ‘accidental deaths’. In 2022, 33 deaths were reported, in 2023, none, and this year at least a 100 have been confirmed. While these are fewer than the 1,100 deaths in Andhra Pradesh in 2016, longer spells of heatwaves are becoming more frequent. State health departments are tasked with furnishing information to the Centre on heatwave- related illnesses and deaths. A challenge with classifying deaths due to heatwaves is that in several cases people succumb under the combined impact of high temperatures and existing co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease or hyper tension. Secondly, there are varying definitions of a heatwave. While temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius are considered to have heatwave-like conditions, it can also mean temperatures that are 4.5 degrees or more above what’s normal for any place. Several places in the Himalayan States with temperatures in the mid-30s have reported heatwaves, because it is several degrees above normal. There have been no official reports of heat-related deaths in these places. In most years, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan are the States that report most casualties from heat.

There are medical guidelines to help doctors declare, or rule out, suspected cases of heatwave illness but these are often applied unevenly.

What measures do States have in place?

With the frequency of heatwaves rising, State, district, and cities have prepared heat action plans (HAPs). The NDMA and the India Meteorological Department are working with 23 States to develop HAPs. HAPs provide a snapshot of a region’s heat profile, including information on the number of past heatwave events, yearly trends in the summer maximum temperature, land surface temperature, and so on, followed by a vulnerability assessment which maps out regions that require immediate attention and a response plan.