NEW DELHI: The goal of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is to develop heat-related action plans at every state, district and city level, with the ultimate goal of reducing exposure to heat waves and improving thermal comfort of people at the local level, an NDMA official said.
Speaking to PTI Videos on the sidelines of the Global Heat and Cooling Forum, Krishna Vatsa, Head, NDMA, said that every city and region has its own characteristics and challenges, and heat action plans are designed accordingly.
“One H at the national level cannot solve this problem. Currently, we have already set up nearly 300 Hs, and 100 more are under development. The plans include some key measures like water arrangement, increasing vegetation, enabling cold roofs and refrigerated shelters,” Vatsa said.
The GHCF 2026 was held on April 20 and 21 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, organized by the NRDC in partnership with the National Disaster Management Authority, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Alliance for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
Speaking about the vulnerable population most exposed to extreme heat, the NDMA official said it is necessary to arrange umbrellas, water and cooling shelters, and the working hours of those working outdoors, such as manual laborers in fields or on construction sites, must be regulated accordingly.
“This is exactly why heat action plans are so important,” Vatsa said. “The challenges vary from region to region, and each region or city requires its own approach. Heat disproportionately affects those engaged in physical labour, such as vegetable vendors, street vendors and others, and it is essential to design solutions at their level.”
When asked about the income losses that outdoor workers face when they restructure their working hours to avoid extreme heat, he stated that discussions on standard insurance are underway in several parts of the country to address this issue.
“Their incomes have definitely been affected, and to address this, discussions on modular insurance are still ongoing. It is rather complex, as it is difficult to pinpoint the reason whether it is the temperature level or the number of days it remains high. However, in many parts of the country, modular insurance of this kind is being explored to ensure continuity of livelihoods,” an NDMA official told PTI.
In response to a question about heatwave-related deaths, the official said that although it is difficult to directly attribute deaths to heatwaves, the number of deaths has decreased over the past five years due to the efforts of the National Disaster Management Authority and other departments.
“We have alerted hospitals and primary health centers on how to deal with heatwaves, and training arrangements have been made for the same. The health department and the health ministry have issued several directives in this regard,” Vatsa said.
“People affected by heatwaves have been getting better treatment, and in the last four to five years, there has definitely been an improvement in this area,” he added.
The 2026 Global Climate Forum brought together government officials, policy makers, scientists, development institutions and industry leaders to discuss extreme heat and sustainable cooling.
Key officials, including Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, and Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department, were among the key speakers at the event.
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