June 2015 southasiadisasters.net 1 · 2015-07-03 · 2 southasiadisasters.net June 2015 ABOUT THIS ISSUE HEAT WAVE PLANNING Need for National Strategy for Heat wave Preparedness No

southasiadisasters.netJune 2015 1

southasiadisasters.net June 20152

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

HEAT WAVE PLANNING

Need for National Strategyfor Heat wave PreparednessNo more heat wave deaths are

needed in India to come upwith a national strategy for heat wavepreparedness.

Over 2,000 citizens have lost life overthe past few weeks due to not beingprepared to face the ongoing heatwave. Loss of health, livelihoods, andbusiness is yet to be calculated. Andthis loss is avoidable.

At temperatures about 40oC, a "heatwave" refers to a departure of between4oC to 5oC from the normaltemperature while a "severe heatwave" refers to a departure of morethan 6oC. At these temperatures,chances of a heatstroke, a possiblyfatal illness which results from theoverheating of the human body, arehigh for the citizens under sun.

This heat wave is not sudden. TheIndia Meteorological Department hasbeen making more accurate andtimely heat wave predications inIndia over past four years. TheIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) Special Report on"Managing the Risks of ExtremeEvents and Disasters to AdvanceClimate Change Adaptation (SREX)report had concluded that more heatwaves will occur and in cities. TheFifth Assessment Report (AR5)Outreach Event in Dehradun byCentral Himalayan EnvironmentAssociation (CHEA) and Kolkata byJadavpur University in March 2015

had also indicated more frequent andsevere heat waves in India's cities.

In South Asian cities, temperaturesare reaching high levels in thesummer, and worsening due toclimate change. In 2010, a heat spikein Ahmedabad caused 1,300 excessdeaths, including, among at-riskgroups such as outdoor workers,children, the elderly and slumdwellers. The nature and extent ofimpact of heat wave on homeless,street vendors, baggers, traffic police,hawkers or auto repairers in cities isyet to be recorded.

The AMC health team has workedwith Indian Institute of Public Health(IIPH) and Natural Resources DefenseCouncil (NRDC) teams for over 3years to make India's first and Asia'srare heat wave action plan. The planlays out actions that the citizens, thepublic and private institution, and theenabling policy makers can take toreduce the negative impact of heatwave on citizens. The plan hasperformed over the years andreduced the impact. Last year lesscitizens died due to heat wave inAhmedabad and even less sufferedhealth issues. Drinking more water,standing under shed, are some of thekey actions. But do our cities offersuch facilities to common citizens?The AMC has now institutionalizedheat wave planning and put it on itsannual plan and budget.

With over 2,000 casualties toits name, heat waves have

just secured their position amongthe various hazards to whichIndia is vulnerable. The steadyincrease in the number of victimsof heat related stress everysummer has made it imperativefor the 'powers that be' to takeactions to protect their citizens.As pointed out by UN'sIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC), climatechange will aggravate thefrequency and severity of heatwaves in the coming years. Thus,India needs an institutional levelplanning to combat the threat ofheat waves.

This issue ofSouthasiadisasters.net focuses onthe theme of the 'Risk of HeatWaves and Climate Change inIndia'. This issue tries to highlightthe phenomena of heat wavesfrom the perspectives of variousstakeholders ranging from thelocal authorities to the vulnerablecommunities such as streetvendors, construction workers,children and the elderly. TheAhmedabad Heat Action Planhas been highlighted as a policylevel intervention worthemulating in other Indian cities.Similarly, an anthropologicalperspective to heat waveplanning is also posited.

The eclectic perspectives on heatwaves and climate changehighlighted in this issue will helpthe readers understand thechallenges India faces and theopportunities it can leverage toprotect its citizens from heatwaves and other adverse impactsof climate change.

WITH OVER 2,000 LIVES LOST DUE TO EXTREME HEAT,INDIA NEEDS A STRATEGY TO COMBAT HEAT WAVESAHMEDABAD’S INNOVATIVE HEAT ACTION PLAN IS A STEPIN THIS DIRECTION.IT RELIES ON A FOUR PRONGED STRATEGY THAT CAN BEEASILY REPLICATED BY ANY INDIAN CITY.


The Ahmedabad MunicipalCorporation (AMC) is rapidlyimproving the city's public healthinfrastructure in response to theunique Heat wave Action Planproject's recommendations. Forexample, ambulance services are nowlocated strategically in places wheremany calls for help are issued.Hospitals receive warnings whenextreme temperatures are forecast andnow have extra ice packs on hand, anddrinking water stations andawareness-building materials aredistributed throughout Ahmedabad.

The Heat Action Plan is a four-pronged strategy and almost any cityin India can take up. The first involvesa communications outreach whichinforms citizens about the risk of heatillness and preventive measures totake. This year, new media such asmobile messaging service,WhatsApp, are being used as adissemination channel along withmore traditional means such as wallposters and inter-personalcommunication.

The second involves a warningsystem in the case of a heat wave withactionables mapped out for variousgovernmental agencies. Who will dowhat, when, and how is clear to keyindividuals and units of keydepartments. The third importantstep involves training health careprofessionals-public and someprivate-to better respond to heatillness while the fourth involvesadapting the physical plan of the cityto better cope with heat: mappinghigh-risk areas, making potablewater easily accessible and buildingtemporary cooling spaces duringperiods of extreme heat. The plan isrevised as each new lesson is learned.

Strategies which public authoritiesuse to deal with excessive heat arethe global norm. After the 2003 heatwave in France, which killed almost15,000 people, the Frenchgovernment formulated a heat health

watch warning system, a nationwidesystem of combating heat illness incase of abnormally hot weather. Somestudies estimates that during the 2006heat wave, 4,400 deaths were avoidedas a result of this system being inplace. In India we do not have suchnation wide studies.

Similarly, the National Workshop onScaling up Successful Heat Action Planfrom Ahmedabad to other parts ofIndia, where the Mayor andCommissioner of AMC werefacilitated, attracted interest from thecity of Nagpur where later in themonth a Round Table was held andmore cities in Maharashtra turned upto prepare for Ahmedabad-like heatwave plan.

Over 40 mayors at the recent event inDelhi, organized by UN Habitat,Cities Network Campaign, andClimate and DevelopmentKnowledge Network (CDKN), titled,South Asia City Summit, showedinterest in Ahmedabad's heat waveplan. The session, Scaling upSuccessful Heat Action Plan fromAhmedabad to other parts of Indiaconcluded that Smart Cities are Heatwave Safe Cities.

Ahmedabad has shown a pathway fortowns and cities of India. At the ThirdUN World Conference on DisasterRisk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, theAhmedabad Heat Action Plan wasshowcased as a finalist for theprestigious Munich RE FoundationRISK Award alongside 20 other "bestproposals" out of 145 submissionsfrom 62 countries.

Cities across the world have protectedcitizens with a wide range ofmeasures such as tree plantation oncity roads for shade, enforcing buildingbye-laws for overhangs to shadewalls and windows, and increasingstructures for individuals on dutysuch as traffic police or street cleaner.Such measures are also taken in Indiancities but at much smaller scale thanthe heat wave challenge demands.

A disaster is also a creative momentin the life of a nation. And so are heatwaves for India. The onus is on usturn this ongoing and increasing lossof life and livelihoods into world'slargest national strategy for heatwave preparedness that not onlyprotects citizen from the impact ofheat but in fact reduces the impactitself. – Mihir R. Bhatt

Workshop on Highlighting the Ahmedabad Experience: Scaling Heat Action Plans forKey Cities and States in India, April 15–16, 2015, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.


HEAT WAVES IN INDIA

Heat Waves in India: Key Facts and Figures

Heat waves are present incountries throughout the world

and are broadly defined as periods ofabnormal heat. Azhar (et al 2014)defines them as "a prolonged periodof unusually and excessively hotweather, which may also beaccompanied by high humidity."Definitions vary, in part because aheat wave is measured relative to theusual weather in the area and relativeto normal temperatures of the season.In the past three to four decades therehas globally been an increased trendin high-humidity heat waves(Masters et al 2012). Extreme heatevents have been responsible formore deaths annually thanhurricanes, lightening, tornadoes,floods and earthquakes combined.Numerous studies have documentedthat human induced climate changehas increased the frequency andseverity of heat waves across theglobe. However, heat waves have yetto be taken seriously by mostgovernments and NGOs working ondisaster risk reduction. Extreme Heatcan lead to dangerous, even deadly,health consequences, including heatstress and heat stroke (Heat actionplan 2015).

IndiaHeat waves are a significant healthconcern in India, extreme heat hazardsare projected to increase in frequencyand severity with climate change.However, few of the factors driving

population heat vulnerability aredocumented, though poverty is apresumed risk. "Heat vulnerabilitycan be conceptualized as a functionof interacting biophysical andsocioeconomic determinants that canbe broken down into heat hazardprobability as well as factorsassociated with population exposure,susceptibility and adaptive capacity"(Azhar et al 2013: 2). The literature onheat vulnerability in South Asia isconsiderably underdeveloped withmost studies focused on the globalnorth. However, experts say thatIndia "must recognise risingtemperatures as a natural disaster, justlike floods or earthquakes, and havea strategy to protect vulnerablepeoples" (Bhalla 2015). Neither thecentral government or the nationaldisaster management authority haveput in place preventive measures forthe summer nor has the union homeministry declared a heat wave as a'natural disaster'. As per theintergovernmental Panel on Climatechange (IPCC) the averagetemperature is going to rise by 2-6 oCover the next 80-100 years (Mavlankar2015). Meaning that unless heat wavesare taken seriously in DRR the impactof heat waves and the death countcould rise dramatically. Thecombination of exceptional heatstress and a predominantly ruralpopulation make India, especiallyvulnerable to heat waves. Currentlya quarter of the population does nothave access to electricity (Holthaus2015). The use of air-conditioning isincreasing by a massive twentypercent each year, which puts a hugestrain on the country's delicate powergrid and boosts greenhouse gasemissions (Holthaus 2015). This raisesthe obvious ethical questions it ishard to rationalize the need forgrowing greenhouse gas emissions

in wealthy counties when people areliterally dying of heat in the tropics.

Heat wave in India 2015It has already been documented that2400 (05/06/2015) have died due toheat related illness (Singh H 2015).However, it is likely this figure ismuch higher as heat related illness isoften recorded inaccurately andfigures from rural areas are hard toattain. It is suggested that it normallytakes a month after the heat wave toget a true picture of the impact.

References:• Azhar, G et al (2013) A cross-

sectional, Randomized ClusterSample survey of HouseholdVulnerability to Extreme Heatamong Slum Dwellers inAhmedabad, India. InternationalJournal of Environmental Research andPubic heath 10. 2515-2543

• Azhar, G. Connolly, M., Jaiswal, ANavaankar, D Shag, T (2014). Insidestories on climate compatibledevelopment. Climate andDevelopment Knowledge network

• Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan 2015• Bhalla, N. (2015) Ahmedabad offers

way to beat the heat as 1,300 killedin heat wave – http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/28/india-heatwave-disasters-idINKBN0OD2GT20150528

• Indian meteorological departmenthttp://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/forecaster_guide.pdf

• Master, J., Meehl, J., Trenberth, K andSomerville, R. (2012). Heat Wavesand Climate Change. Climatecommunication

• Mavlankar, D. (2015) Combatingheat wave deaths http://www.deccanherald.com/content/480291/combating-heatwave-deaths.html

• Sing, H. (2015) Heat wave kills morethan 1,100 in India CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/25/asia/india-heatwave-deaths/

– Grace Beards

HEAT WAVES ARE STILLNOT CONSIDERED ADISASTER IN INDIA.EXPERTS BELIEVE THATCLIMATE CHANGE WILLFUEL MORE INTENSEAND FREQUENT HEATWAVES IN FUTURE


HEAT ACTION PLAN

Scaling up Heat Action Plans in India:The Ahmedabad Experience

With increasing observedaverage temperatures across

India over the last decade, climatescientists project more frequent andsevere heat waves. According to themost recent IPCC report, over thenext two decades, a warming of about0.2°C per decade is projected for arange of SRES emission scenarios.Temperature extremes are a majorunderlying cause of mortality inmuch of the world and the leadingcause of directly–mediated weather–related mortality. Heat affects peoplethrough shock, dehydration, acuteheat illnesses and the worsening ofchronic cardiovascular andrespiratory diseases. Preparing forand responding to healthemergencies caused by a changingclimate will be critical to saving livesand protecting developingeconomies.

In May 2010, Ahmedabad heat wavewas associated with 4,462 all–causedeaths: an excess of 1,344 whencompared to the reference period(3,118 deaths). After this deadly heatwave of May 2010, the Indian Instituteof Public Health – Gandhinagar(IIPHG), the Public HealthFoundation of India, the NaturalResources Defence Council and theClimate and Development

Knowledge Network honoured theleadership of the AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation forinnovative and outstandingleadership in building disaster riskpreparedness and communityresilience, the city's first Heat ActionPlan in 2013. The Plan was enactedduring the 2013 and 2014 heat seasons,which involved stakeholder trainingsand capacity building, communityoutreach activities, and interagencycommunication.

The summer 2014, a similar heatwave occurred in Ahmedabad. The

number of hot days during 2014 whentemperature remained above 44°Cwas 16 days as compared to 8 days in2010.While heat stroke cases andfatalities were over 75% less thanthose in 2010, the overall all-causemortality during summer reductionwas reduced by 6.88% or 1,116 livesindicating that indirect/undiagnosedcasualties still exist. Though thereduction cannot be specificallyattributed to the Ahmedabad HeatAction Plan, the increased awarenessand early warnings may beresponsible for the reduction indeaths.

Presenting the experiences fromAhmedabad's HAP and learning fromglobal best practices, AMC, NRDCand our partners organised acountry–wide two day workshop toinform interested cities andgovernment leaders on the steps toprepare their own early warningsystems and heat preparation plans.Over 50 delegates and representatives

D. Thara unveiled the updated 2015 Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan.

THE AHMEDABAD HEAT ACTION PLAN (HAP) IS THEFIRST CITY LEVEL PLAN IN SOUTH ASIA TO ADDRESSTHE RISK OF HEAT WAVES.THE PLAN IS BASED ON SOUND RESEARCH ANDROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.AT A NATIONAL LEVEL WORKSHOP, OTHER CITYADMINISTRATIONS ALSO PLEDGED TO FOLLOWAHMEDABAD’S LEAD.


from city municipalities, IndianMeteorological Department, StateClimate Change Departments,National Disaster ManagementAuthority, leaders from NGOs andlocal medical hospitals participatedin the workshop at Ahmedabad. Theupdated version of the HAP 2015 wasalso unveiled during the workshop.

Out of the 5 cities that participated,the Odisha and Maharashtra teamshad pledged to start HAP in their owncities. Though interested, the teamsfrom Hyderabad and Delhi needed

to build a greater evidence basebefore work could start. TheMaharashtra Principal Secretary(Health), Ms. Sujata Saunik, whoparticipated in the kick off workshop,had immediately requested IIPHG tohold a similar workshop on 8th-9thMay, 2015 at Nagpur under theleadership of Nagpur MunicipalCorporation and Public healthdepartment.

The HAP provides a framework forthe implementation, coordination,and evaluation of extreme heat

response activities in cities thatreduce the negative health impacts ofextreme heat. Through ourexperience, we can show that this iseasily accomplished with significantresults at minimal cost and change inexisting infrastructure. We hope thatother cities take on this task to builda more resilient community in thedifficult times ahead.

– Priya Dutta, Ajit Rajiva,Abhiyant Tiwari, P.S Ganguly and

Dileep Mavalankar, Indian Instituteof Public Health Gandhinagar

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DRR

Towards Climate Sensitive DisasterManagement Plan in Gujarat

What is a Disaster ManagementPlan (DMP)?

The word disaster implies a suddenoverwhelming and unforeseen eventwhich causes damage to life andproperty. Disasters are natural ormanmade. To address disaster andminimise its impact on human life,property and environment asystematic plan is developed, suchplans are generally location specificand covers response mechanism forall types of potential disaster of thatparticular region.

Climate Change is increasingpossibilities of disasters, IPCC 5th

Assessment Report released in 2014noted "Direct and insured losses fromweather-related disasters haveincreased substantially in recentdecades, both globally andregionally. Increasing exposure ofpeople and economic assets has beenthe major cause of long-termincreases in economic losses fromweather- and climate-relateddisasters."

Climate Change is directly affectingthe communities undermining theirlivelihoods through gradual,insidious changes in temperature andrainfall patterns, and increasing thefrequency and/or intensity ofhazards such as floods, cyclones,droughts, unseasonal rains andhailstorms, which causes extensivedamage to crops and Agro-Ruraleconomy. Several recent trends inweather extremes are sufficientlyclear to press upon the need forappropriate risk reduction efforts.Managing Climate Change in thisperspective has therefore become amajor challenge to humanity andGovernments.

Importance of Climate Sensitive DMPin GujaratGujarat is a coastal State with morethan 1600 KM coastline, with apopulation of more than 60 millionand population density of 308 km2.The major potential natural disasterfor Gujarat includes Flood,Earthquake, Cyclone, Drought etc.frequency of these disasters haveincreased drastically in last couple ofdecades, which will be continue toFig. 1: Adaptation to climate change is almost equals to disaster risk reduction.


Fig 2. Climate Change Adaptation Process is based on local parameters.

increase in future as well, due toClimate Change. The impacts of suchnatural disaster are widespread andlong-lasting, the impacts also includealteration of ecosystems, disruptionof food production and water supply,damage to infrastructure andsettlements, human morbidity andmortality, and consequences formental health and human well-being(IPCC, 2014).

Climate Change related Disasters:Vulnerability and AdaptationIndia has been proactive in takingvarious policy and institutionalmeasures towards tackling disastersthrough implementation of DisasterManagement Act, 2005. In tandem, theState of Gujarat is the pioneer inbringing institutional frameworkthrough Gujarat DisasterManagement Act 2003 andsubsequent rules there under. Thisinstitutional framework helpedGujarat to manage and respondquickly to various disasters. TheGujarat State Disaster ManagementAuthority (GSDMA) is now wellequipped and professionallymanaged agency for preparednesstowards addressing the disasters andpost disaster relief and rescue work.The recently prepared Gujarat StateDisaster Management Plan (GSDMP)2014 is comprehensive and holistic fortackling all types of disastroussituations. Climate Change has alsobeen emphasised in GSDMP with

evaluation of probable ClimateChange related disasters. It is alsohighlighted that adaptation orresilience measures for ClimateChange related disasters areimportant and upcoming areas ofwork for GSDMA.

Gujarat is prone to natural disasterslike Earthquake, Cyclone, Drought,Flood etc. with the historical recordsof such disasters in past. There is alsopossibilities of heat wave, unseasonalrain, hailstorms etc. Now due toincreased influence of ClimateChange and as per IPCC/WMOreports the frequency of disasters likeflood, cyclone, drought, and heatwave will increase rapidly in termsof intensity and occurrence. InGSDMP response and preparednessfor all such disasters are documentedand responsibility has been delegatedfrom level of State authorities todistricts and block administration.

Gujarat has demonstrated variousadaptation initiatives for naturaldisasters like drought, flood, andcyclone, heat waves throughinitiatives like water harvesting,river linking, coastal areamanagement, and development ofnatural shield like mangrove cover,rescue and response in epidemic andother emergencies. There is acommon element in adaptation toclimate change and disaster riskreduction which is shown here in fig.1, and for Climate Change Adaptationideal process of 8 steps is shown infig. 2 which is self-explanatory.

– Shwetal Shah,Technical Advisor – Climate Change

References:1. Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) 5th

Assessment Report, 20142. Gujarat State Disaster

Management Plan, 20143. Climate Variability and Climate

Change: Disaster Risk ScopingStudy for Gujarat by TARU, 2011

4. Disaster Preparedness & Response– 2013 by GSDMA

THE INTERFACE OFNATURAL HAZARDS ANDCLIMATE CHANGE CANHAVE DISASTROUSIMPLICATIONS FORGUJARAT.TO ADDRESS THIS RISKIT IS NECESSARY TOHAVE CLIMATE ASENSITIVE DISASTERMANAGEMENT PLAN INGUJARAT.


DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN

Heat Waves and Disaster ManagementPlans in IndiaSummers in India are worldwide

known for its harshness. Whensearching online for the best time tovisit the country, one is advised"April is hot; May and June arescorching."1 But it was not possible topredict that this year India would beon many international newspapers'front page. Facing one of the toughestheat waves that have ever hit itsterritory, the death toll alreadyexceeded 2,0002. Though thecasualties are mainly concentrated inthe southern state of Andhra Pradesh,reaching an astonishing amount of1,3003, record high temperatures areregistered throughout the country.

Depicting such scenario, somequestions may naturally cross one'smind. Why is that? Is it only in India?Or, most important, how to avoid it?Starting from the middle, as thisarticle is written, heat waves are alsowitnessed in less likely places suchas Britain and Canada, and it is

expected to soon reach Russia aswell4. This leads us to the firstquestion… Extreme temperatures andweather-related disasters have beenregistered in the four corners of theworld as a result of the well-known,but still largely-underestimatedphenomenon of climate change.Whether it is natural or manmade (orboth) may be a subject of controversy,the fact is that earth is warming andit imposes serious threats tocountries' development. It shall betackled in every possible way.

The first step towards protecting onecountry from heat waves is to regardthem with the significance they have.In other words, deadly heat waves arenatural disasters and require to beaddressed accordingly. While thisDecember the world leaders willgather for the 'United NationsClimate Change Conference' in Paristo agree on the next goals to betterdeal with this phenomenon, India (orany other country) shall not wait fora reversal in the current trend ofincreased temperatures. Even if it wascommonly agreed that climatechange is mainly human-induced,and even if greenhouse gas emissionswere drastically reduced overnight,it would take significant time beforeachieving again a balanced climate5.That is why it is so important forcountries to take a stand and worktowards preparedness.

Although heat wave is not as frequentas some other natural disasters, andeconomic issues due to this event arelesser, it can rank among the oneswith highest proportional mortality,as is the case in India6. It is, therefore,paramount to acknowledge thedevastating impacts of climatechange, especially on those whoalways bear the brunt of disasters: themost vulnerable as children, elderly,and impoverished.

Being one of the most hazard-proneareas in the globe, disastermanagement is a key issue in India.So much so that in 2005 the nationalgovernment enacted the DisasterManagement Act (DMA), providinggeneral standards and guidelines tobe followed by all districts and statesin the country. The DMA requiresevery district to both prepare andregularly review a disastermanagement plan (i.e. DistrictDisaster Management Plan, orDDMP). Although the lawenforcement is below of what wouldbe necessary to ensure itseffectiveness, integrating heat wavesin DDMPs are, nevertheless, a greatopportunity to address this issue inan action-oriented, holistic, andsystematic manner - just like what isneeded to tackle this naturaldisaster.

– Ana Richter and Brij Chauhan

1 Lonely Planet, "When to go and weather" <http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/weather>2 The Wall Street Journal, 2015, "India Heat Wave Death Toll Tops 2,000" <http://www.wsj.com/articles/death-toll-in-india-

heat-wave-tops-2-000-1433071368>3 The Guardian, 2015, "The heat and the death toll are rising in India. Is this a glimpse of Earth's future?" <http://

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/31/the-heat-and-the-death-toll-are-rising-in-india-is-this-a-glimpse-of-earths-future>4 CBC News, 2015, "Heat wave coming to Vancouver" <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/heat-wave-coming-

to-vancouver-1.3101529>, Mail Online, 2015, "Britain set for two-week heatwave" <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-62786/Britain-set-week-heatwave.html>, Arctic News Blog, 2015, "Heat Wave Forecast For Russia Early June 2015"<http://arctic-news.blogspot.in/2015/06/heat-wave-forecast-for-russia-early-june-2015.html>

5 The Guardian, 2014, "Climate change is far from the only cause of a rapid rise in disasters" <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/climate-change-cause-rapid-rise-disasters>

6 PreventionWeb, India Disaster & Risk Profile <http://www.preventionweb.net/countries/ind/data/>

THE FIRST STEPTOWARDS PROTECTINGONE COUNTRY FROMHEAT WAVES IS TOREGARD THEM WITHTHE SIGNIFICANCETHEY HAVE. IN OTHERWORDS, DEADLY HEATWAVES SHOULD BECONSIDERED DISASTERS.


HEAT WAVE PREPAREDNESS

Why Every Authority should have a HeatWave Preparedness PlanExtreme heat events are

responsible for more deathsglobally than hurricanes, lightening,tornadoes, floods and earthquakescombined. Numerous studies havedocumental that human inducedclimate change has increased thefrequency and severity of heat wavesacross the globe. However heatwaves have yet to be taken seriouslyby most governments and agenciesworking in Disaster risk reduction.Heat waves must become integral todisaster planning. The generalperception that extreme heat eventsare passive and have little impact oncommunities (when compared toother natural disasters) means thatthey are rarely given the attentionthat they desperately need.

Ahmedabad Heat Wave Plan:Ahmedabad, India, became the firstcity in South Asia to address the issueof heat waves and construct a HeatAction plan. This was instigated afterthe deadly Heat wave which hitAhmedabad in May 2010. The heatwave action plan, fully formed in2013 by Ahmedabad MunicipalCooperation (AMC), describes bothimmediate and longer term actionsto increase preparedness. The planwas formed based on informationcollected from mortality data fromcity hospitals, emergency ambulancecall records, heat vulnerability surveys,focus groups and interviews withgovernment officials. Unfortunatelythe heat wave action plan that wasinstigated in Ahmedabad has yet tobe applied to most other Indianstates. This is a likely cause of theheat wave in May 2015 having suchdisastrous consequences.

Dangers of Heat Waves:There is a large and strong evidencebase about the impact that heat waves

can have to health. Many of thedeaths seen in 2010 and 2015 causedby exposure to excessive heat couldof been prevented if a very fewsimple precautions were taken. Thepurpose of a Heat wave plan is toavoid adverse health effects ofexcessive heat by raising publicawareness and triggering actions bythose in contact with people who aremost at risk.

What should heat wave plan look like?A heat wave plan should beorganized around a few key points1. Identification of a lead agency

and participating municipalities2. Use of a standardized warning

system that responds quickly topredictions of increase intemperatures.

3. Building public awareness andcommunity outreach

4. Implementation of responseactivities targeting high-riskpopulations

5. M&E practices

Comprehensive heat preparednessand response requires involvementfrom not only governmentauthorities but alsonongovernmental organizations. Itshould also take into account certaingroups that are more vulnerableduring a heat wave. The localauthority should carry out avulnerability assessment in order toidentify the post at risk groups. Thesecan include:• Old age• Infants• Chronic or severe illness• Homeless peoples• High exposure livelihoods:

Street vendors, traffic police,construction worker etc.

• Slum dwellers

In a moderate heat wave, it is mainlythe high-risk groups mentionedabove who are affected, however,during an extreme heat wave fit andhealthy people can also be affected.

Each city must decide tailor theirplan to deal with heat waves in theirspecific city. However below a fewgeneric suggestions of what the firststeps can be:

Water:Access to water is the key aspect toreduce the impact of heat on people'shealth. Placing water stations aroundthe city in order to ensure poor andvulnerable people can have freeaccess to water is a great way oflimiting the impact and preventingmore serious health concerns.

How to mitigate urban heat islandeffect:Cities are especially vulnerable toheat waves effect. There are a numberof actions that can be taken toincluding the modification of surfaceproperties and integration of greeninfrastructure. This also includeskeeping parks open for extended andthe planting of trees is key tochanging urban micro-climates forthe better.

Importance of inclusion of otherservices:It is vital that emergency servicesand infrastructure is taken intoaccount during the planning. Watercompanies and electricity suppliersshould be consulted and when a heatwave is predicted any planned workshould be delayed. The sameprecautions should be taken withemergency services.

– Grace Beards withVandana Chauhan


GOOD PRACTICES

Beating the Heat: Lessons from Ahmedabad'sHeat Wave Action PlanAs India comes to terms with the

over 2,000 casualties relatedwith extreme heat stress, it is time todevise a national level strategy andplan to combat this disaster.1 Whileheat waves may be at best aninconvenience to those who live andwork in air conditioned spaces, theworking poor who mostly work onthe streets have to fend forthemselves in the face of this extremeheat. These include vegetablevendors, auto repair mechanics, cabdrivers, construction workers, roadside kiosk operators and all othershave to work in the extreme heat tomake ends meet, often at the expenseof their health. Such communities areextremely vulnerable to the adverseimpacts of heat waves such asdehydration, heat and sun strokes.Therefore, it is not unsurprising thatconstruction workers, homelesspeople and the elderly constitute themajority of heat wave casualties inIndia.

Despite their fatal implications, heatwaves are not recognized as disastersat the institutional level in India. Asa result, most Indian cities do nothave a heat wave action plan toinitiate administrative action against

the rising temperatures. The loneexception to this institutional apathyis the city of Ahmedabad in the Indianstate of Gujarat. Ever since thesummer of 2010, when a deadly heatwave killed more than 1,300 people,the local authorities of Ahmedabadhave taken concerted action to preventillness and deaths related withextreme heat.2 These efforts haveresulted in the Ahmedabad HeatAction Plan which aims to protect theresidents of Ahmedabad from thedangers of heat waves.

Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan canoffer a lot of lessons for other Indiancities to emulate and help protecttheir citizens from the extreme heat.These lessons are as follow:

• Recognize Heat Wave as a majorHealth RiskThe first step towards addressinga problem is acknowledging it.As mentioned earlier, heat wavesare yet to be recognized asdisasters at the institutional levelin India. Other Indian cities canemulate Ahmedabad'sexperience in recognizing thedangers of heat waves and settingup of a Heat Wave Action Plan.This would help many Indiancities to considerably mitigatethe impacts of heat waves ontheir citizens.

• Map out the 'High Risk'CommunitiesAs part of its Heat Wave ActionPlan, the Ahmedabad MunicipalCorporation (AMC) mapped outthose communities which aremost likely to be exposed to theextreme heat. These include

street vendors, constructionworkers, traffic police personnel,children, the elderly, etc. OtherIndian cities also house suchcommunities and they shouldalso identify and designate themas most vulnerable to the risksof heat waves.

• Set up of 'Public Cooling Places'One of the simplest yet effectivemeasures taken by the AMC isto set up public cooling spaces toprovide relief to the vulnerablepeople from the sweltering heat.These cooling places have beenset up in temples, public buildingsand malls. Other cities too cantake emulate this and set uppublic cooling spaces to providesuccour from extreme heat.

• Use different media to conveyheat wave alertsThe AMC has been liberal withthe use different media to spreadawareness and alerts about heatwaves. Media like newspapersads, wall posters, hoardings, TValerts, SMS and WhatsApp alertshave been leveraged by theAMC. Municipal authorities inother Indian cities too wouldbenefit greatly by emulating theexample set by the AMC.

The Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan hasbeen innovative as it is the first SouthAsian city to tackle the risk of heatwaves on such a grand scale. OtherIndian cities and theiradministrations can take a leaf out ofAhmedabad's book and protect theircitizens from the dangers of extremeheat.

– Kshitij Gupta

1 Emulate Ahmedabad to Combat Heatwave Threat, The New Indian Express, 05th June 2015 , http://www.newindianexpress.com/editorials/Emulate-Ahmedabad-to-Combat-Heatwave-Threat/2015/06/05/article2850147.ece

2 Ahmedabad offers way to beat the heat as 1,786 killed in heat wave, NITA BHALLA, May 29, 2015, http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/29/india-heatwave-disasters-idINKBN0OD2GT20150529

THE AHMEDABAD HEATACTION PLAN HAS BEENHAILED AS ANINNOVATION.THIS PLAN HASOFFERED MANYLESSONS TO OTHERCITIES TO PROTECTTHEIR CITIZENS FROMHEAT WAVES.


CHILDREN AND HEAT WAVES

Ahmedabad's Heat Action Kids:Why You Should Try Harder to Push Climate Change Policy

Ahmedabad is cooking.Pavement scalds feet, bathing

water is as if boiled, and to sweat ishabituated. Time has lost itsdemarcations here- even the nightwithholds relief. Some Amdavadiscan hop from air conditioned home,to air conditioned car, to airconditioned office, but this is a realityonly for the few and wealthy. Thereprieve of cooled buildings are notspaces sanctioned for the poor, norare they places their children can goeither.

These kids, the children ofAhmedabad's poor, are among thosemost vulnerable to the extreme heatwe have been suffering. They cannotregulate their body temperatures likeadults, falling victim to heat strokemore readily. So what are the city'schildren doing to tough it out? Beforethe heat waves rolled in this year, theAll India Disaster MitigationInstitute (AIDMI) visited theAhmedabad's public schools to findout.

The children participating in ourvisits have a basic understanding ofclimate change, natural disasters, and

how to engage in risk reducingbehaviours. These are kids who haveexperienced or know someone whohas become ill from the heat. Livingin slums where the poor condition ofhousing is exacerbated by density,children face a higher risk to heatillness at home than at school.

When we visited the schools, we metwith bright-eyed, engaged studentseager to voice their knowledge andexperience. There was commonconsensus to regularly hydrate. Wewere informed water at home is keptin clay basins to remain cool. Duringsummer months, the children donwhite clothing to reflect the sun,covering themselves in light,breathable fabrics. They stay out ofthe sun, taking refuge in what shadethey can find. A potassium-packedtreat, mango is eaten when they canget it. All community basedmitigation measures.

The children also know why the heatis getting worse: Climate Change.

They know that the factory puffingsmoke is not for their benefits, that

the daily traffic jams and chaos of thecity is hurting their chances to growup healthy. But what can they do?

"Call the police!" one boy exclaims.And we can, in a more roundaboutway. Residents have the power topush policy. Do you want these kids,and yours, to grow up in a city wherethe pollution is increasing and it getsin your eyes? Where the heat is worsewith each passing year? AsAhmedabad expands, this can onlyget worse.

The children of the city's slums areinspiring. They are catalyzing forcesin communities where parents neverwent to school, scolding their parentswhen they pollute, when theirneighbours burn garbage. But themost these kids can do is adapt in waysthat don't further contribute toharmful practices. Every bit doesmake a difference, but what makes abigger difference is enforcing stricterregulations on polluting industries,which is something those able toafford modern reprieves from thisheat have the power to do.

– Kasia Knap

THE CHILDREN OFAHMEDABAD’S POORARE EXTREMELYVULNERABLE TOEXTREME HEAT STRESS.INSTEAD OF BEINGSILENT VICTIMS, THESECHILDREN ARECATALYSING FORCES INTHEIR COMMUNITIES TOENGENDER ADAPTATIONTO THE THREAT OF HEATWAVES.

Students discuss climate change at the Bapunagar Hindi School.

Phot

o: A

IDM

I.


SCHOOLS AND HEAT WAVES

Schools to Build Resilience against HeatWavesIn recent times, heat waves have

caused more damage to lives thanany other weather events, includingfloods. At temperatures about 40degrees Celsius, a "heatwave" refersto a departure of between 4-5 degreesCelsius from the normaltemperatures, while a "severeheatwave" refers to a departure ofmore than 6 degrees Celsius.1 Duringthe period of April-July every year,spells of hot weather occasionallyoccur over certain parts of India.Prolonged heat wave periods resultin scarcity of water, drought spellsand diseases and eventually to deathtolls. Generally heat waves developin the north-western parts of Indiaand from this area they progress toneighbouring subdivisions of thecountry. The 2015 Indian Heat Wavehas been very devastating claimingmore than 2500 lives till now, themost affected regions being AndhraPradesh, Telengana, West Bengal,Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Thepoultry industry too has suffered

severely with deaths of animals andloss of productivity.

D.S. Pai, head of the Long RangeForecast Division at IndiaMeteorological Department, Pune, ina recent interview said that comparedwith the previous four decades, theoccurrence of heat waves and severeheat waves in the country hasincreased during the period of 1961-2010, the last decade (2001-2010) beingthe warmest2. The most vulnerablesection of the population to heatwaves are however our children.Children often fail to understand thevariability related to extreme weatherconditions. Depletion of salt andelectrolyte in the body cause heatcramps and outdoor activities underthe direct sun lead to heat exhaustionand eventually heat strokes.

The increasing spells of heat wavesare the in fact direct effect of changingclimate throughout the globe. Withincreasing carbon emissions, theglobe is getting hotter every day.Heat waves are sort of 'SilentDisasters'. They often catch us bysurprise. Even though heat waves areexpected during summers, peopleoften are not prepared for them.Increase in temperatures is such thatit starts effecting even before anyonerealising it. This is where it becomesso very dangerous. Heat waves in ourcountry are still not considered in thecategories of other natural disasters.However, with its seriously increasingimpacts, it is high time that mitigationmeasures are required in line withDisaster Risk Reduction (DRR) andClimate Change Adaptation (CCA).

A lot more concrete work is requiredto be done in order to withstand thesewaves. Heat wave is such a disasterwhich requires extreme personal care.At such a key juncture, the children atschool must be the first priority.• The class hours in schools can be

adjusted so that students don'tget exposure in peak hours andpeak summer days. Educationalinstitutions should use the dataand announcements related toheatwave prediction by IMD(Indian MeteorologicalDepartment). The IMD has beenmaking accurate and timelyheatwave predictions in Indiaover the past four years.

• Cool water systems may beinstalled in and around schools.

• Preparing a preparedness planwith high focus on awareness atthe school in summer season canbe very useful.

• Plantation of trees are the key. Agreener environment is alwaysa safer environment. Schools arethe best place to promote andencourage.

• Provision of proper ventilationis a must in the school buildings.

• Awareness campaigns related toheat waves by schools must beconducted.

The awareness campaigns of Do's andDon'ts can prove very vital in case ofstanding against its ill effects. Theprotection and risk reduction both areimportant component where schoolcan play important role in thesociety.

– Maitreya Goswami

1 Bhatt M. (2015), Too Hot to Handle, Governance Section, Ahmedabad/ Heatwave Action Plan, Views on News, http://viewsonnewsonline.com/?p=1273.

2 The Hindu, June 04, 2015; http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/heat-waves-on-the-rise-in-india/article7279950.ece.

CHILDREN AREEXTREMELYVULNERABLE TOSTRESSES OF HEATWAVES.SCHOOLS AREIMPORTANTSTAKEHOLDERS THATCAN TAKE CORRECTIVEMEASURES TO PROTECTCHILDREN FROM THEDANGERS OF HEATWAVES.


NEW PERSPECTIVES IN DRR

An Anthropological Approach toUnderstanding Heat WavesCultural anthropology forces us

to take the everyday seriouslyand to ask ourselves what we canlearn from the lived experience ofordinary people. An anthropologistquestions why people do what theydo, observes how they make theirdecisions and pays attention to theirpriorities and values. This kind ofcuriosity, observation and attentionbreeds creative thinking andinnovative solutions. Perhaps this iswhere an anthropological approachmay provide particular insight todisaster management.

Ahmedabad's heat wave put thehealth and earnings of the workingpoor at risk. Street-based workerssuch as vendors, cobblers andconstruction workers spend theirentire day under the hot summer sun.So, what do they do to bear thescorching heat? What are their dailystrategies and coping mechanisms?

Vegetable vendors, in particular, facegreat difficulties since their produceis highly heat-sensitive. They mustemploy myriad solutions to meettheir needs for shade and water. Aspot under the shade of a tree isconsidered prime real estate tovendors during the summer months.Those without shade attach old cottonsaris to lampposts to make makeshiftshelters. Many vendors lay theirvegetables out on a wet jute sack andsprinkle water on leafy greens to keepthem fresh. These strategies to secureshade and water not only protectagainst heatstroke, they also extendthe life of their perishable produce. Iftheir produce is at-risk, so are theirearnings. Small physical adjustmentscan have large impacts onlivelihoods.

In order to support these kinds ofexisting heat wave copingmechanisms, an anthropologicalmethodology has much to offer. Theapproach begins by paying attentionto the details of everyday life like themakeshift tarp or the wet jute cloth.While consulting the mostvulnerable is clearly essential, so areobserving and listening. The jutecloth that a vendor uses may not comeup in an interview but a goodobserver will notice its importance.Furthermore, an anthropologist alsotries to suspend judgment, to step outof themselves and their opinions.Doing this allows them to ask certainfundamental questions: what andhow does this person think about heatwaves? What matters to them?Through this anthropologicalexercise, innovative heat wavesolutions regarding water, trees,heat-absorbent concrete or airpollution may begin to emerge.

In many ways, the All India DisasterMitigation Institute has a veryanthropological approach in that it iscommunity-based and sees localculture as a resource rather than anobstruction to disaster management.AIDMI has always strengthened theknowledge and coping mechanismsof disaster-affected communities tobuild their resilience.

After the Boxing Day Indian OceanTsunami of 2004, AIDMI incorporatedlocal building techniques intotemporary shelter construction for1,395 households in 5 locations ofTamil Nadu and Pondicherry.AIDMI's work shows us that therelevance of anthropology extendsfar outside of academia. By drawingfrom its methodology and coreprinciples, we may inform disastermanagement efforts.

– Maya Potter,Fulbright-Nehru Research Fellow

Sonjibhia Patani, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Phot

o: A

IDM

I.


CLIMATE CHANGE AND DRR

Climate Change withinDisaster Risk ReductionA seminal policy year for

development and sustainabilityoccurs in 2015 due to three parallelprocesses that seek long-termagreements. Through the UNFCCCnegotiations, a legally bindingagreement will be sought for climatechange in Paris in December.Meanwhile, the voluntary SendaiFramework for Disaster RiskReduction was signed in Japan inMarch while the voluntarySustainable Development Goals willbe finalised at UN headquarters inNew York in September.

Little reason exists to separate thesethree processes and agreements, sinceall examine and aim to deal withmany similar topics, namely reducingvulnerability and enhancing resilienceto a broad range of phenomena.Despite the intersections andoverlaps amongst climate change,DRR, and sustainability, too manyefforts exist to separate them.

For example, resilience is frequentlydefined in climate change circles asbeing about ''returning to normal''or "bouncing back to a pre-eventstate". That diverges from many otherapproaches which prefer to do betterthan normal by not bouncing back tothe state of vulnerability whichcaused a disaster in the first place. Ifpost-earthquake Nepal werereconstructed to its "normal" state, itwould mean perpetuating theinequality, governance difficulties,poverty, and conflicts which ensuredthat over 8,000 people died in theApril catastrophe.

Similarly, the climate change notionof ''double exposure'' highlights howvulnerability is augmented byhaving to deal simultaneously withproblems from the impacts of globalenvironmental change and economicglobalization. People daily must deal

with numerousother challenges,from earthquakes toenergy supply andfrom discriminationto drought caused bywater overuse ratherthan by rainfalldeficits. The reality,as long articulated indisasters andd e v e l o p m e n tscience, is "multipleexposure" tomultiple challenges–some of whichbring multiple opportunities to dobetter.

No reason exists to emphasiseclimate change over other hazardinfluencers or to separate climatechange from wider contexts. Instead,we should be working together bylinking topics and by findingconnections that end disagreementsand that ensure our work is notcounterproductive to others.

In particular, climate change is onecontributor to disaster risk, mainlythrough influencing hazards butsometimes affecting vulnerability.But climate change is not necessarilythe most prominent or mostfundamental contributor to disasterrisk. Yet climate change has becomepolitically important, as shown by therun-up to the Paris meeting, yieldingan opportunity to highlight and tacklethe deep-rooted vulnerabilityprocesses that cause ''multipleexposure''.

To enhance resilience processes thataddress the challenges, a prudentplace for climate change would be asa subset within disaster riskreduction. Climate change adaptationtherefore becomes one of manyprocesses within disaster riskreduction, ensuring that it is addressed

while being careful that no singleissue dominates.

In turn, disaster risk reduction shouldsit within development andsustainability to avoid its isolationfrom wider topics and topics whichdisaster risk reduction cannotaddress. Without this approach, wemight successfully address climatechange while increasing disaster riskor we might successfully addressdisaster risk while harming longer-term endeavours.

What good is an energy efficient andflood-resistant school which collapsesin the next earthquake? What good isan energy efficient, flood-resistant,and earthquake-resistant school in acountry where girls or lower castescannot be educated?

Integrating the topics as proposed heremoves beyond limited expressions ofvulnerability and resilience towardsa vision of disaster risk reduction'sfuture that ends tribalism andseparation in order to work togetherto achieve common goals for humanity.

– Ilan Kelman, JC Gaillard, andJessica Mercer

This article is summarised from the paperpublished earlier this year in the InternationalJournal of Disaster Risk Science which is freelyavailable at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-015-0038-5

Roads which flood after a short downpour represent neitherclimate change adaptation, nor disaster risk reduction, norsustainability. From the Bahamas, photo by Ilan Kelman.


COMMUNITY BASED DRR

Documentation of Best Practice of theCommunity at Chaudangpathar GolaghatThe Choudangpathar Technical

Training Centre (CTTC), a nongovernment organization provedthat with knowledge, zeal and anadventurous spirit an innovation ispossible. This practice began withthe effort and struggle of Mr KamalBora, B.sc (President) and Mr SimantaThengal, B.A (Secretary) of CTTC, atChoudangpathar, Ghiladhari Mouzaunder Golaghat Revenue Circle,Golaghat district about 30 km fromHQ.

The CTTC was established in 2011with the objective of making therural educated youth self–dependentthrough various technical trainings.The prime focus of the Centre is theagriculture sector as the district isprone to flood and drought whichaffects the agrarian community in thedistrict.

Therefore the CTTC is engaged indeveloping low cost floatingmaterials, improvised boats and lifejackets for the flood affectedcommunity to respond effectivelyduring the flood period.

When the CTTC came into contactwith the District DisasterManagement Authority (DDMA)Golaghat, the DPO was very muchenthralled by their indigenousknowledge and their skill. This wasfurther shared with the Addl. DeputyCommissioner, DDMA, Golaghat.And after a few days of meeting anddiscussions, the Fire and EmergencyServices including the State DisasterResponse Force (SDRF) was involvedin examining the feasibility of theboat. This idea was further sharedwith the Executive Engineer, InlandWater Transport (IWT), Dibrugarhand his team was invited for

technical verification of theimprovised boat. The IWT howeversent a note about strengthening theboat using aluminum sheet and tar.The CTTC was then instructed toretrofit the boat using aluminium asdirected by the IWT. The CTTC hadin the meantime constructed boatswith bamboo, aluminium wire andthermocol (thermacol box availablefrom the fish market).

This was also demonstrated atBanmukh village, Sibsagarh District,where the community appreciatedthe use of the boats. The Addl.Deputy Commissioner, DDMA, SriRohiteswar Deori, ACS, and DPO,DDMA had together witnessed theviability of the improvised boats inDhansri River of Golaghat. In thefirst instance “I was doubtful and hadfear of falling off the boat whenfifteen of us stood over it… some

were purposely shaking the boat totest its balance, it still stoodmajestically and I was with the lifejacket (prepared by CTTC) and aftertraveling some distance I took it outas I was free of the false notion”.

Even in the Exhibition at the BookFair from 15th November to 24th

November 2014 at General Field,Golaghat the model was displayedand highly praised by the public. TheCTTC has also developed Life jacketsusing cloth and thermocol. Theyhave also prepared floating houseswhich could be used for temporaryshelter during emergencies and alsofor recreational purpose. The CTTCis now engaged in making the floodvulnerable community aware of thepractice.

– Ronney P. Rajkumar, D.P.O,DDMA, Golaghat, Assam

The District DisasterManagement Authority(DDMA), Golaghat WishesCTTC a great Success intheir endeavour towardsbuilding a resilient ruralcommunity.


INFORMATION SHARING

Criteria for a Heat Wave

Editorial Advisors:

Anshuman SaikiaRegional Programme Support CoordinatorARO, IUCN (International Union for Conservation ofNature), Thailand

Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperation andCountry Support (Asia-Pacific), United NationsDevelopment Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduSub-Regional Coordinator, Central Asia & SouthCaucasus, United Nations Office for Disaster RiskReduction (UNISDR), Kazakhstan

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarChairman, National Dairy Development Board(NDDB), Anand, Gujarat, India

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Near Old Natraj Cinema, Mithakhadi Railway Crossing, Ashram Road,Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

Do you wish to receive this publication regularly? Write to AIDMI ([email protected]). The publication will be sent byE-mail. Your comments help southasiadisasters.net remain an effective and informative resource for regional issues of disasterrisk management. Please contribute comments, features, reports, discussion points, and essays about your work. Today!

Heat wave need not be considered till maximum temperatureof a station reaches at least 40C for plains and at least 30c for

hilly regions.*

When normal maximum temperature of a station is less than orequal to 40c• Heat wave departure from normal is 5c to 6c• Severe heat wave departure from normal is 7c or more

When normal maximum temperatures of a station is more than 40c• Heat wave departure from normal if 4c to 5c• Severe heat wave departure from normal is 6c or more

When actual maximum temperature remains 45c or moreirrespective of normal maximum temperatures, heat waves shouldbe declared.

* As defined by Indian Meteorological DepartmentSource: Indian meteorological department http://www.imd.gov.in/

section/nhac/dynamic/forecaster_guide.pdf

Documents

June 2015 southasiadisasters.net 1 · 2015-07-03 · 2 southasiadisasters.net June 2015 ABOUT THIS ISSUE HEAT WAVE PLANNING Need for National Strategy for Heat wave Preparedness No