It can't be a coincidence that 10 of the world's deadliest-ever heat waves have been in the past two decades. Of them, four have been in India. The current blistering spell, which is the second deadliest on record, next to that in 1998, has already taken over 2,350 lives. Heat waves in 2002 and 2003 also had officially recorded death tolls of over 1,000. The actual numbers might be far higher as most cases either go unreported or are recorded as deaths due to specific ailments even if these are directly related to thermal stress. Heat is now the second largest natural killer in India; and it is catching up with the number one, which is water - notably through floods and water-borne infections. The real cost of heat stress goes even beyond the loss of life as it also entails damage to health and productivity.
The role of climate change is clearly evident in the spike in frequency as well as intensity of the heat ways. Climate scientists are effectively unanimous that the situation is set to worsen. India's vulnerability on this count is well known. The fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which had estimated the rise in global mean temperature in past 100 years at 0.8 degrees Celsius, had also indicated that the increase in regions, such as south India, was far higher - between two and four degrees Celsius. Not surprisingly, therefore, the bulk of the deaths in this heat wave has been reported from the south, notably Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The poor, particularly the homeless and day labourers, are invariably the worst victims. Nearly 40 per cent of sunstroke victims in the two states were enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme. Elsewhere, too, the largest casualty due to excessive warmth has been among those working on farms or construction sites.
How to deal with heat stress? Access to potable water is the key to minimise deaths due to heat. So is the availability of shelters for people to save them from the sun's fury. Clothing changes, including wide-brimmed hats, could also make a difference. Unfortunately, this aspect has not received the attention it deserves from civic authorities in most parts of the country. Many cities, most notably Delhi, set up night shelters in the winter to protect the homeless from the biting cold. Similar but differently designed, ventilated refuges - made perhaps of canvas with foldable side flaps - are needed for the summers. Some lessons can also be learnt from the Heat Action Plan of Ahmedabad, initiated in 2013 when the city recorded 80-odd deaths due to heat. Awareness campaigns through posters and other means of mass communication are carried out to advise people on simple ways to reduce direct exposure to sun and alleviate heat exhaustion. Healthcare workers are also trained in handling heat victims. Such plans should be chalked out for other vulnerable areas as well.
