Over 90% heatwave deaths occurred in 5 states between 2018 and 2022

Number of heatwave days in India expected to rise in coming years

Five states accounted for nine out of 10 heat-related deaths in the last five years for which data is available.

Bihar topped the list with 123 deaths between 2018 and 2021, according to data shared in Parliament. This was followed by Telangana (42), Andhra Pradesh (37), Maharashtra (13) and Gujarat (11) (chart 1).

Overall, there were at least 244 deaths, according to data shared in Parliament, though the National Crime Records Bureau suggests that the number was higher. For example, the bureau recorded 374 deaths in 2021 alone, and 530 in 2020.

The heatwave in north India is said to have killed at least 54 people in Uttar Pradesh in recent days. Another 45 have reportedly died in Bihar. Higher numbers have been reported, but the government has disputed them. Heatwaves are common in India in summer months between March and June.

The number of heatwave days recorded were the maximum in Rajasthan: 47 between 2018 and 2021. Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra followed at 28 each, and Uttarakhand reported the third-highest at 25 (chart 2).

Other states that recorded at least a dozen heatwave days in this period included Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Jharkhand and Telangana.

The health risk due to heatwaves is likely to increase since the average number of heatwave and severe heatwave days are on the rise. A study by the Ministry of Earth Sciences found that the average temperatures in India rose by 0.7 degree Celsius between 1901 and 2018 largely due to the greenhouse effect. Some models project that the average temperature over India would rise by up to 4.4 degree Celsius by the end of 2100.