Extreme Heat Risk in India: CEEW Report Highlights.

A major new report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) reveals that 76% of India’s population—living in 57% of the country’s districts—is now at high or very high risk from extreme heat. This risk is most acute in states such as Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Key Findings

• Record-Breaking Heat: The year 2024 was the hottest ever recorded globally and in India, with the country experiencing its longest and most intense heatwave since 2010.
• Widespread Risk: The CEEW study mapped heat risk across 734 districts using 35 indicators spanning hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. About 57% of districts, home to 76% of the population, face high to very high heat risk.
• Top 10 High-Risk States/UTs: Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh are most affected.

What Drives Extreme Heat Risk?

• Rising Nighttime Temperatures: The number of very warm nights is increasing faster than hot days. Over 70% of districts saw at least five more very warm nights per summer (March–June) between 2012 and 2022, compared to previous decades.
• Humidity Compounds Risk: Increased relative humidity—especially in northern and typically dry regions—makes it harder for the human body to cool, intensifying health impacts.
• Vulnerable Populations: Children, the elderly, pregnant women, marginalized communities, and those with chronic diseases are at higher risk.
• Urbanization and Land Use: Changes in land cover, high population density, and lack of green spaces increase exposure and vulnerability.

Understanding Heat Risk vs. Heatwaves and Heat Stress

• Heatwaves: Prolonged periods of abnormally high temperatures in a region.
• Heat Stress: When body temperature exceeds 37°C, leading to health issues; above 40°C can cause heat stroke.
• Heat Risk: The probability of illness or death due to extreme temperatures, determined by intensity (including humidity), exposure, and community vulnerability.

Health and Societal Impact

• Public Health Threat: Warmer nights prevent the body from recovering after hot days, increasing risks of heat stroke and worsening conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
• Recent Toll: In 2024, over 40,000 suspected heatstroke cases and at least 110 confirmed deaths were reported between March and June.

Recommendations and Way Forward

• Early Warning and Action Plans: The report calls for integrating humidity and demographic data into heat risk assessments, establishing a national database of heat action plans, and improving public health resilience.
• District-Level Planning: Detailed mapping enables targeted interventions, especially for the most vulnerable districts and populations.
• Climate Adaptation: As climate change drives more frequent and severe heat events, urgent scaling up of resilience measures is essential

UPSC Relevance

• GS 3 (Environment & Climate): Heatwaves as “invisible disasters”—drivers, risk amplification, urban heat islands.
• GS 2/3 (Governance & Public Health): Policy-level disaster classification, e-governance in issuing early warnings and managing HAPs.
• GS 3 (Economy): Link between climate extremes and economic losses—labour productivity, GDP contraction.
• Map Incorporation: District-level heat risk maps offer empirical depth for essay answers and policy-oriented questions.

Previous UPSC-Style Question Relevance

• 2019 GS3 Mains: “Satellite remote sensing is used to estimate chlorophyll content, greenhouse gas emissions and land-surface temperatures—discuss its significance in environmental management.”
  • 👉 Heat zoning and early warning systems are direct extensions of satellite-based environmental monitoring.