Lok Sabha Question No. 231 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Heat Waves
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Dr. Mohammad Jawed, Shri K Sudhakaran, Dr. Rani Srikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 231 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## HEAT WAVES

231.  DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED: SHRI K SUDHAKARAN: DR. RANI SRIKUMAR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of deaths caused due to heat waves, since 2019, year and State-wise;
- (b) the  manner  in  which  the  Government  plans  to  compensate  victims  suffering  due  to severe heat waves in the country;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government in response to reports predicting increasing severe heat waves across the country in the coming years; and
- (d) whether the Government plan to declare heat waves a national calamity in India?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The details are given in Annexure-1 as provided by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- (b) The State disaster management authorities have their resources available through 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  national  disaster  response fund (NDRF) and national disaster mitigation fund (NDMF).
- (c) The  India  Meteorological  Department  (IMD)  has  taken  various  steps  to  improve monitoring and early warning systems, which helped minimize loss of life and property during extreme weather events, including heat waves. These include:
- i. Issuing seasonal and monthly outlook, followed by extended range forecast of temperature and heat wave conditions.
- ii. District-wise heatwave vulnerability Atlas over India to help State Government authorities and disaster management agencies in planning and taking appropriate action.
- iii. The  hot  weather  hazard  analysis  over  India  that  includes  daily  temperature, winds, and humidity condition.
- iv. Heat index forecast for the entire country and impact-based forecast of heatwave conditions at district levels.
- v. Real-time heat wave information and warnings on the Web-GIS platform.
- vi. Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in 23 States that are prone to heatwave conditions jointly implemented by the national disaster management authority in collaboration with the State Governments.
- vii. Improvement  of  forecasts  and  warning  dissemination  services  along  with utilizing  modern  tools  of  dissemination  systems  such  as  YouTube,  Facebook, WhatsApp, X platform, Instagram, etc. for timely public outreach.
- (d) Presently the notified list of disasters eligible for NDRF/SDRF assistance, includes 12 disasters namely cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide,  avalanche,  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  State  Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (SDRMF) and National Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (NDRMF) covers the needs of the State to 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  funds  allocation  of  the  SDRF,  subject  to  fulfilment  of  certain  prescribed conditions and norms, for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be 'disasters' within local context in the State and which are not included in the centrally notified list of natural disasters.

State/UT wise deaths due to Heat/Sun Stroke during 2019-2022:

## Annexure-1

| S. No.   | State/UT                   | 2019   |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh             | 128    |     50 |     22 |     47 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh          | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 3        | Assam                      | 3      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 4        | Bihar                      | 215    |     53 |     57 |     78 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh               | 16     |      3 |      2 |     11 |
| 6        | Goa                        | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 7        | Gujarat                    | 27     |     12 |      8 |      5 |
| 8        | Haryana                    | 46     |     23 |     14 |     27 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh           | 0      |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 10       | Jharkhand                  | 88     |     23 |     33 |     47 |
| 11       | Karnataka                  | 4      |      1 |      0 |      2 |
| 12       | Kerala                     | 3      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh             | 33     |      7 |      2 |     27 |
| 14       | Maharashtra                | 159    |     56 |     37 |     90 |
| 15       | Manipur                    | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 16       | Meghalaya                  | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 17       | Mizoram                    | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 18       | Nagaland                   | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 19       | Odisha                     | 84     |     13 |     15 |     38 |
| 20       | Punjab                     | 90     |    110 |     91 |    130 |
| 21       | Rajasthan                  | 54     |     23 |      1 |     12 |
| 22       | Sikkim                     | 1      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 23       | Tamil Nadu                 | 0      |      0 |      2 |      2 |
| 24       | Telangana #                | 156    |     98 |     43 |     62 |
| 25       | Tripura                    | 1      |      2 |      0 |      2 |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh              | 117    |     50 |     35 |    130 |
| 27       | Uttarakhand                | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 28       | West Bengal                | 49     |      6 |     11 |     18 |
|          | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 1274   |    530 |    374 |    729 |
| 29       | A &NIslands                | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 30       | Chandigarh                 | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 31       | D&NHaveli and Daman &Diu@+ | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 32       | Delhi UT                   | 0      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 33       | Jammu &Kashmir@*           | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 34       | Ladakh@                    | -      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 35       | Lakshadweep                | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 36       | Puducherry                 | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|          | TOTAL UT(S)                | 0      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
|          | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)          | 1274   |    530 |    374 |    730 |

As per data provided by States/UTs

'+' Combined data of erstwhile D & N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2013-2019

'*' Data of erstwhile JAMMU & KASHMIR State Including LADAKH during 2013-2019

'#' Data of newly created State during 2014

'@' Data of newly created Union Territory 2020