As scorching temp grips India, NDMA drafts heatwave mitigation framework

"As the threat of extreme heat rises, we are now coming up with a national framework for heatwave mitigation and management (NFHM)," one of the officials said

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the apex body for disaster management in India, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is working on a National Framework for Heatwave Mitigation and Management (NFHM). With extreme heat posing great risks to the health of humans and animals, urban habitat, infrastructure, agriculture, and water security, this new framework is aimed at avoiding social and economic disruption, two officials said. 

“The framework for the mitigation and management of heatwaves aims to provide ways of making HAPs (heat action plans) more community-based, actionable, well-resourced, and to make sure they are owned by local governments,” official said. 

HAPs are standard operating procedures developed by governments to prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme heat events. Last summer, the country, especially the east and northwest, recorded temperatures close to 50°C. This year, with the summer approaching sooner than scheduled, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and West Bengal have already started experiencing heat waves with temperatures soaring above 40°C. 

Work on the NFHM kicked off six-seven months ago. It is being prepared to formulate processes by which 15th Finance Commission funds can be channeled to states. Therefore, no fresh budgetary allocation is required, another official said. 

The 15th Finance Commission approved ₹2.25 trillion for FY22 to FY26 for disaster management. Of this, 70 per cent has been allocated to states and 30 per cent to the Centre.  

 

“Once this framework is approved by the home ministry, then state-specific heat mitigation projects, with allocations from the 15th Finance Commission can be made,” the first official said. 

Queries sent to spokespeople and secretaries of aforementioned ministries and the head of NDMA did not elicit any response till press time. 

“While progress on systems to respond to ongoing heat waves are both necessary and urgent; equal attention needs to be paid to gearing up for the future. Many of the long-term risk reduction measures we focus on will take several years to mature. They must be implemented now, with urgency, to have a chance of preventing significant increases in mortality and economic damage in the coming decades. At its core, this calls for the re-imagination of how India’s cities expand and develop,” Aditya Pillai, visiting fellow, Sustainable Futures Collaborative, said in a recent report titled Is India Ready for a Warming World? 

The report, released earlier this week, found that nine cities — Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, and Surat — are the most vulnerable to future heat and are home to over 11 per cent of India’s urban population. 

The NDMA formulated the National Guidelines for the Preparation of Action Plan for Prevention and Management of Heat Waves in 2016, which were further revised in 2017 and 2019. These guidelines are the foundation for HAP development in states, districts, and cities across the country.