Lok Sabha Question No. 4381 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Loss of Lives and Health Crisis due to Intense Heat
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Dr. Anand Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4381

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 20 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## LOSS OF LIVES AND HEALTH CRISIS DUE TO INTENSE HEAT

## †4381. DR. ANAND KUMAR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of loss of lives and health crisis caused by intense heat waves in many places of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  declare  heat  wave  as  Natural  Disaster  under  the National  Disaster  Management  Act  so  that  relief  and  rehabilitation  schemes  can  be brought under the ambit of the said Act and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, whether any such proposal is likely to be considered in near future; and
- (d) whether the Union Government has provided any technical or financial assistance to the State  Governments  for  implementing  Heat  Action  Plan  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes. The latest data on deaths due to Heat/Sun Stroke in the State/UT-wise during 20182022, as available from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is given in Annexure-1.

Abnormal temperature events can impose severe physiological stress on the human body, as  the  body  operates  best  within  a  fairly  normal  temperature range. There  is  a  marked relationship between human mortality and thermal stress. During unusually hot episodes, deaths from different causes can rise significantly, with the elderly at greater risk than others.

Four  Common  heat  health  impacts  resulting  from  excessive  exposure  to  heat  waves include dehydration, cramps, exhaustion and heatstroke.  It  is also learnt that there is  a sharp rise in the number of cases of acute gastroenteritis and food poisoning due to the spoilage of food and the reduction of its shelf life due to high temperatures. There is also a rise in the number of cases of anxiety, palpitations, nervousness and behavioural change linked to extreme temperature rise. The occupational profile of most of the victims was ascertained  as  agricultural  labourers,  coastal  community  dwellers  and  people  living below the poverty line (BPL) category, with mostly outdoor occupations.

- (b)-(c)  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 bursts, pest attacks and frost & cold wave. The issue of inclusion of more  calamities  in  the  existing  notified  list  of  calamities  was  considered  by  the  15th 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.

- (d) Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  implements  the  central  sector  schemes  uniformly throughout the country;  hence,  the  allocation  of  funds  is  not  State-wise. Funds are  not directly  released  to  the  State  Governments  from  the  MoES  to  implement  the  central sector schemes.

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

-  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.

IMD has also brought out a web-based "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. Further, the India Meteorological Department provides weather information to the public through various platforms:

-  Mass Media: Radio/TV, Newspaper network (AM, FM,  Community  Radio, Private TV), Prasar Bharati, and private broadcasters
-  Weekly & Daily Weather Video
-  Internet  (email), FTP
-  Public Website (mausam.imd.gov.in)
-  IMD Apps:  Mausam/Meghdoot/DAMINI/RAIN ALARM
-  Social Media: Facebook, X, Instagram, BLOG
- i. X: https://twitter.com/Indiametdept
- ii. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/India.Meteorological.Department/
- iii. Blog: https://imdweather1875.wordpress.com/
- iv. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mausam\_nwfc
- v. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC\_qxTReoq07UVARm87CuyQw

State/UT-wise deaths due to Heat/Sun Stroke during 2018-2022:

| SN   | State/UT                   | 2018   | 2019   |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 97     | 128    |     50 |     22 |     47 |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 3    | Assam                      | 0      | 3      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 64     | 215    |     53 |     57 |     78 |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 1      | 16     |      3 |      2 |     11 |
| 6    | Goa                        | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 31     | 27     |     12 |      8 |      5 |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 56     | 46     |     23 |     14 |     27 |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 0      | 0      |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 42     | 88     |     23 |     33 |     47 |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 0      | 4      |      1 |      0 |      2 |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 1      | 3      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 15     | 33     |      7 |      2 |     27 |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 128    | 159    |     56 |     37 |     90 |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 4      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 40     | 84     |     13 |     15 |     38 |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 38     | 90     |    110 |     91 |    130 |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 43     | 54     |     23 |      1 |     12 |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 0      | 1      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 0      | 0      |      0 |      2 |      2 |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 107    | 156    |     98 |     43 |     62 |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 1      | 1      |      2 |      0 |      2 |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 176    | 117    |     50 |     35 |    130 |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 46     | 49     |      6 |     11 |     18 |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 890    | 1274   |    530 |    374 |    729 |
| 29   | A &NIslands                | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman&Diu@+ | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 32   | Delhi UT                   | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 33   | Jammu &Kashmir@*           | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 34   | Ladakh@                    | -      | -      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)                | 0      | 0      |      0 |      0 |      1 |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)          | 890    | 1274   |    530 |    374 |    730 |

Source: As per data provided by the State, Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India, National Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB),  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA).'+'  Combined data of erstwhile D & N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 2018 and 2019; '*' Data of erstwhile JAMMU & KASHMIR State Including LADAKH during 2018 and 2019; '@' Data of newly created Union territory.

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