Lok Sabha Question No. 4374 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Rising Incidents of Extreme Heat
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4374 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 20 TH AUGUST, 2025

## RISING INCIDENTS OF EXTREME HEAT

## 4374.   SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  rising  frequency  and  intensity  of extreme heat events across the country;
- (b) if so, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to strengthen national and Statelevel heat action plans and improve early warning systems;
- (c) whether  inter-ministerial  coordination  is  being  undertaken  to  address  the  impact  of extreme  heat  on  public  health,  livelihoods  and  infrastructure  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (d) the  measures  being  implemented  to  support  climate  adaptation  at  the  local  level, particularly in vulnerable urban and rural areas; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  allocate  dedicated  resources  or  launch  new schemes to build long-term heat resilience and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a)-(b) Yes.  It  has  been  observed that  due  to  global  warming,  there is  a  rising  trend  in  the frequency and intensity  of  heatwaves in various parts of  the globe,  including  India. The trend in heatwave conditions across the country has been analysed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) based on datasets from 1961 to 2020. In general, there  is  an  increasing  trend  in  the  frequency  of  heatwaves  in  the  heat  core  zone covering northern plains and central India.

The India Meteorological Department, in collaboration with various research centers across the country, has undertaken several initiatives to enhance monitoring and early warning  of  severe  weather  events.  These  efforts  have  significantly  contributed  to minimizing the loss of life and property during extreme weather events, including heat waves.

Some of these initiatives related to the extreme temperatures and heat waves are listed below.

-  Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in 23 States that are prone to heatwave conditions were  jointly  implemented  by  the  National  Disaster  Management  Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the State Governments.
-  Issuing seasonal and monthly outlooks, followed by extended-range forecasts of  temperature  and  heatwave  conditions.  The  early  warning  and  forecast information are also disseminated through various social media platforms for timely public outreach.
-  District-wise heatwave vulnerability Atlas over India to help State Government authorities and disaster management agencies in planning
-  The  hot  weather  hazard  analysis  map  of  India  incorporates  daily  data  on temperature, wind patterns, and humidity levels.
-  A  series  of  National  and  State-level  heatwave  preparedness  meetings  are conducted  much  before  the  start  of  the  summer  season,  with  regular  review meetings from time to time during the season.

The weather information is provided to all the stakeholders, including the ministries of the  Union  Government,  State  Governments,  and  local  Government  bodies.  The Common Alert Protocol (CAP), developed by the NDMA, is also being implemented to disseminate warnings and timely alerts by the IMD.

- (c) Yes. Inter-ministerial coordination meetings have been organised by various Central Government Authorities such as NDMA, Health Departments, Labour Departments, Indian  Railways,  Transport  Department,  Forest  Departments,  etc.,  regularly.  IMD regularly  participates  in  these  meetings  and  shares  the  heatwave  status,  forecasting, and warnings from time to time. Regular meetings are also conducted by NDMA with different  stakeholders,  disseminating  the  forecast  provided  by  IMD  for  anticipatory and on-ground actions.
- (d) The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has published a Climate Change report titled "Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region". The report has assessed the impact  of  climate  change  across  the  country,  including  urban  and  rural  areas,  and provides  a  comprehensive  overview  of  regional  climate  change.  It  covers  all  major aspects of regional climate change, including the climatic extremes across India. The report is available at https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-4327-2.

MoES institutions use the state-of-the-art dissemination system to share weather and climate information and early warnings with disaster management authorities and the general public through various platforms/channels for necessary preparedness and to support adaptation measures across  the country, including coastal States. It includes social  media,  Common  Alert  Protocol,  Mobile  Apps,  WhatsApp,  and  APIs.  As  a result, the vulnerable population in rural and coastal areas gets evacuated on time to safe shelters, thereby reducing the human death toll to a bare minimum.

IMD  utilizes  a  seamless  forecasting  system  at  the  seasonal  to  nowcast  scale  and implements  well-defined  Standard  Operating  Procedures  (SOPs)  for  monitoring  & forecasting weather hazards. IMD in coordination with other centres in the MoES, has developed an end-to-end GIS-based Decision Support System (DSS), which has been working as the front  end  of the early warning systems  for  the  timely  detection  and monitoring  of  all-weather  hazards  across  the  country.  It  is  supported  with  specific severe weather modules to provide timely  impact-based early warnings  for  extreme weather  events  like  cyclones,  heavy  rainfall,  etc.,  which  devastate  human  lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

IMD has also brought out a web-based online "Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India" prepared for the thirteen most hazardous meteorological events, which cause extensive damage and economic, human, and animal losses. The same can be accessed at  https://imdpune.gov.in/hazardatlas/abouthazard.html.  This  atlas  will  help  State Government  authorities  and  disaster  management  agencies  identify  the  hotspots, including  vulnerable  urban  and  rural  areas,  and  plan  and  take  appropriate  action  to tackle  extreme  weather  events.  This  product  is  helpful  in  building  Climate  Change resilient infrastructure.

- (e) The State disaster management authorities have their resources available through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to support  it.  If  there  is  a  request  from  the  States  for  financial  assistance,  the  Central Government considers it in accordance with the relevant guidelines for the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF).

Currently, the notified  list  of  disasters  eligible  for  National  Disaster  Response  Fund (NDRF)/State  Disaster  Response  Fund  (SDRF)  assistance  includes  12  disasters, namely cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloud burst, pest attack, and frost & cold wave. The issue of inclusion of more calamities in the existing notified list of calamities was considered by the 15 th Finance Commission. The Commission, in para 8.143 of its report, had observed that the  list  of  notified  disasters  eligible  for  funding  from  the  State  Disaster  Response Mitigation Fund (SDRMF)  and National Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (NDRMF) covers the needs of the State to a large extent and thus did not find much merit in the request to expand its scope.

However, a State Government can use up to 10% of the annual fund allocation of the SDRF, subject to the fulfillment of certain prescribed conditions and norms, to provide immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be 'disasters' within  the  local  context  in  the  State  and  which  are  not  included  in  the  centrally notified list of natural disasters.

Addressing  the  root  causes  of  global  climate  change  is  essential  to  mitigating  the impact  of  heat  waves.  This  involves  international  cooperation  to  reduce  carbon emissions, transition to renewable energy sources and implement sustainable practices across  all  sectors.  Towards  this,  India  has  taken  a  proactive  role  in  fostering international collaborations through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure. India is committed to pursuing low-carbon strategies for development and is actively pursuing them, as per national circumstances.

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