A recent study by the Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), released on March 19, 2025, highlights India’s inadequate preparedness for the escalating threat of heatwaves, projecting a rise in heat-related deaths as climate change intensifies. The report, co-authored by experts from King’s College London, Harvard University, Princeton University, and UC Berkeley, surveyed nine major Indian cities—Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, and Surat—which collectively house over 11% of India’s urban population and rank among the most vulnerable to future heat extremes.

The study finds that current heat action plans in these cities prioritize short-term responses, such as distributing water or issuing alerts, while long-term strategies—like urban greening, heat-resilient infrastructure, or vulnerability mapping—remain scarce or poorly implemented. This gap leaves millions at risk, particularly as heatwaves grow more frequent, intense, and prolonged. The report warns that without urgent institutional reforms, including better training for health workers, investment in energy-efficient cooling, and identification of urban heat islands, India could see a significant uptick in mortality.

Supporting this, a comprehensive multi-city study published in ScienceDirect (2023) analyzed heatwave impacts on mortality across ten Indian cities from 2008 to 2019. It found that heatwaves—defined as two consecutive days above the 97th temperature percentile—raised daily mortality by 14.7%, with an estimated 1,116 deaths annually linked to such events. The study noted that shorter, less intense heatwaves actually contribute to a higher death toll due to their frequency, underscoring the need for adaptive planning beyond immediate relief.

India’s vulnerability is compounded by its historical heatwave toll—over 24,000 deaths since 1992—and recent events, like the 2024 heatwave that claimed over 733 lives, far exceeding official counts of 360 due to underreporting. With temperatures occasionally surpassing 50°C in 2024, and urban areas like Delhi facing record night-time heat, the SFC study urges a rethink of India’s climate strategies to avert a public health crisis as the population grapples with an unprepared system.

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