Lok Sabha Question No. 418 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Deaths caused due to Heatwave
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Sukhdeo Bhagat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 418

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## DEATHS CAUSED DUE TO HEATWAVE

## † 418.    SHRI SUKHDEO BHAGAT:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the deaths caused due to heatwaves from 2013 till date, State-wise;
- (b) the details of the steps being taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in lieu of of  the  report  concerning  increase  in  severe  heatwaves  across  the  country  in  the coming years; and
- (c) whether the Government proposes to declare heatwaves as a national calamity?

## 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) It is a fact that annual temperature is increasing globally, and the impact of the same is reflected in the increase in heatwaves in various parts of the globe, including India.

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 heatwaves. These include:

- i. Issuing seasonal and monthly outlook, followed by extended range forecast of temperature and heatwave 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 heatwave 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.
8. (c) Presently  the  notified  list  of  disasters  eligible  for  National  Disaster  Response Fund/State Disaster Response Fund (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.

Annexure-1

## State/UT wise deaths due to Heat/Sun Stroke during 2013-2022:

| SL   | State/UT                     | 201 3   | 201 4   | 201 5   | 201 6   | 201 7   |   201 8 | 201 9   |   202 0 |   202 1 |   202 2 |
|------|------------------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh               | 418     | 244     | 654     | 312     | 231     |      97 | 128     |      50 |      22 |      47 |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh            | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 3    | Assam                        | 5       | 0       | 0       | 6       | 0       |       0 | 3       |       0 |       0 |       1 |
| 4    | Bihar                        | 85      | 131     | 86      | 85      | 84      |      64 | 215     |      53 |      57 |      78 |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh                 | 3       | 4       | 2       | 9       | 11      |       1 | 16      |       3 |       2 |      11 |
| 6    | Goa                          | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 7    | Gujarat                      | 26      | 45      | 52      | 32      | 25      |      31 | 27      |      12 |       8 |       5 |
| 8    | Haryana                      | 82      | 79      | 34      | 76      | 24      |      56 | 46      |      23 |      14 |      27 |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh             | 0       | 1       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       1 |       0 |
| 10   | Jharkhand                    | 42      | 50      | 96      | 45      | 51      |      42 | 88      |      23 |      33 |      47 |
| 11   | Karnataka                    | 6       | 2       | 0       | 17      | 0       |       0 | 4       |       1 |       0 |       2 |
| 12   | Kerala                       | 1       | 0       | 1       | 4       | 1       |       1 | 3       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh               | 12      | 33      | 24      | 26      | 34      |      15 | 33      |       7 |       2 |      27 |
| 14   | Maharashtra                  | 80      | 58      | 61      | 96      | 102     |     128 | 159     |      56 |      37 |      90 |
| 15   | Manipur                      | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 16   | Meghalaya                    | 0       | 2       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       4 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 17   | Mizoram                      | 1       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 18   | Nagaland                     | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 19   | Odisha                       | 101     | 78      | 60      | 81      | 99      |      40 | 84      |      13 |      15 |      38 |
| 20   | Punjab                       | 144     | 123     | 99      | 145     | 60      |      38 | 90      |     110 |      91 |     130 |
| 21   | Rajasthan                    | 40      | 45      | 41      | 51      | 35      |      43 | 54      |      23 |       1 |      12 |
| 22   | Sikkim                       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 1       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                   | 0       | 0       | 0       | 1       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       2 |       2 |
| 24   | Telangana #                  | -       | 128     | 182     | 216     | 180     |     107 | 156     |      98 |      43 |      62 |
| 25   | Tripura                      | 12      | 2       | 0       | 2       | 0       |       1 | 1       |       2 |       0 |       2 |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh                | 108     | 126     | 487     | 114     | 142     |     176 | 117     |      50 |      35 |     130 |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                  | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 28   | West Bengal                  | 45      | 88      | 28      | 18      | 48      |      46 | 49      |       6 |      11 |      18 |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)               | 121 1   | 123 9   | 190 7   | 133 6   | 112 7   |     890 | 127 4   |     530 |     374 |     729 |
| 29   | A & N Islands                | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 30   | Chandigarh                   | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman&Diu @ + | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       | 0       |       0 | 0       |       0 |       0 |       0 |

| 33   | Jammu & Kashmir@*   | 3     | 0     | 1     | 1     | 0     | 0   | 0     |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|------|---------------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-----|-------|-----|-----|-----|
| 34   | Ladakh@             | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -   | -     |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 35   | Lakshadweep         | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0   | 0     |   0 |   0 |   0 |
| 36   | Puducherry          | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0   | 0     |   0 |   0 |   0 |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)         | 5     | 9     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 0   | 0     |   0 |   0 |   1 |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)   | 121 6 | 124 8 | 190 8 | 133 8 | 112 7 | 890 | 127 4 | 530 | 374 | 730 |

As per data provided by States/UTs '+' Combined data of erstwhile D & N HAVELI AND DAMAN & DIU UT during 20132019 '*' 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 Source: National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

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