This February was the hottest in 125 years, with heatwave alerts issued in parts of Karnataka and Telangana early in the month.
Bengaluru, known for its year-round temperate weather, recorded 35°C on 16 March—even higher than typically warmer cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
This seems to be just the beginning. Earlier this month, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that March could be the warmest on record, with above-normal temperatures expected through May.
It's clear that a long, harsh summer lies ahead, so the question is—are we ready for it?
Over the past decade, governments of various cities and states have introduced Heat Action Plans to tackle this growing threat, with the first HAP being created in Ahmedabad in 2013.
But are local governments taking them seriously? And are these plans being effectively implemented on the ground? A new report published by Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), an independent research organisation focused on climate change, energy, and the environment, examines just this.
The report finds that Indian cities most vulnerable to extreme heat are unprepared for worsening heatwaves, relying mainly on short-term emergency measures instead of long-term resilience planning.
'Indian Cities Are Not Preparing for Long Term'
The study assessed nine Indian cities that are at high risk of heat-related casualties in the future—Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, and Surat —covering 11 percent of India's urban population.
Researchers interviewed 88 city, district, and state officials responsible for implementing heat action measures in these cities.
The big findings of the study include:
Short-term quick fixes, like access to drinking water and the expansion of hospital capacity, have improved.
Long-term strategies like infrastructure upgrades and urban planning reforms remain inadequate.
Heat Action Plans lack strength and funding—and there remain institutional gaps in their implementation.
The focus is still on managing heat-related illnesses rather than preventing them.
There exists limited access to data on the true impact of extreme heat in the cities, hindering effective planning.
The report also shows that while the number of short-term, long-term (incidental), and long-term (intentional) actions taken varies across different cities, there’s a clear pattern — most cities are leaning toward short-term measures.
Data source: Sustainable Futures Collaborative/Is India Ready for a Warming World report.
The numbers within each bar in the graph represent the count of solutions reported in each category, while the x-axis displays the total number of solutions implemented in each city.
Speaking to The Quint, Aditya Pillai, the lead author of the study, said, "My takeaway from this exercise was that this is now beginning to be a policy issue that is being taken seriously."
"Compared to when I started working on this a few years ago, there is movement on the ground now. A lot of states and cities are showing an interest in taking heat resilience seriously."Aditya Pillai
However, he adds, "major implementation roadblocks remain."
No Time to Lose
Rising temperatures mean more heat-related illnesses, agricultural losses, economic damage, and even fatalities.
Last year, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 360 heatstroke deaths. However, a report by the non-profit HeatWatch estimated that India’s actual heat-related death toll exceeded 700.
Heat-related mortality is expected to rise—not just in India, but globally.
Experts emphasise that the only way to tackle this challenge is through long-term systemic changes.
According to the report's authors, these include:
Strengthening Heat Action Plans by institutionalising long-term actions, and tracking effectiveness.
Using national and state funds for long-term heat risk reduction projects.
Appointing heat officers and launching a multi-year programme to train officials in India’s most heat-vulnerable cities.
Improving access to climate projections and future climate data for better planning.
Without action, rising temperatures will likely overwhelm the short-term measures, leading to higher mortality and economic losses.
"These findings are a warning about the shape of things to come... Many of the long-term risk reduction measures we focus on will take several years to mature. They must be implemented now, with urgency."Aditya Pillai