As rising temperatures endanger lives and livelihoods around the country, India is dealing with a dangerous increase in heatwaves. Between April and June 2025, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts 10 to 11 heatwave days in states including Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, with temperatures in some areas of Rajasthan possibly up to 45°C. Between 2000 and 2019, the average annual number of heat-related deaths worldwide was 489,000, with Asia accounting for almost half of these deaths. In India, outdoor workers are particularly vulnerable, and urban heat islands increase health hazards in places like Delhi. To lessen the increasing effects of extreme heat, India needs a national heatwave action plan that handles immediate emergencies and incorporates long-term urban planning, which is desperately needed, as this recurrent issue highlights.

Urban Heat Mitigation Through Design and Infrastructure

Due to the heat-absorbing properties of materials like asphalt roads and dark rooftops, which retain heat and raise nighttime temperatures, Indian cities are getting hotter. There are serious health hazards associated with the urban heat island effect, especially in cities with high population densities. Using reflective pavement and cool roofs is a workable approach. Light-colored materials reflect sunlight, significantly lowering surface temperatures. A low-cost, high-impact method of lowering urban heat is to apply this to government housing developments and apply reflective coatings to pavements. Reflective pavements, for example, can reduce surface temperatures by as much as 10°C, which relieves pedestrian discomfort and cools the surrounding air.

Rooftop gardens also have the advantage of lowering indoor temperatures and using less electricity for cooling. More households and institutions can adopt this approach if appropriate incentives, such as tax breaks or subsidies, are provided. Initiatives like the Mithi River Urban Forest, which has shown promise in lowering ambient temperatures through vegetation and water features, can be expanded in cities like Mumbai. While creating green spaces alongside rivers, canals, or underutilised public lands might improve cooling even more, city planners must prioritise preventing the replacement of current green spaces with concrete buildings that worsen heat accumulation.

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Building Climate-Resilient Structures and Communities

In a nation where air conditioning is not widely available, building design is essential in the fight against indoor heat. Using passive cooling strategies, buildings with enough ventilation, insulated windows, and shaded areas can drastically lower interior temperatures. These techniques reduce the need for energy-intensive air conditioning, which makes them economical and environmentally friendly. With public structures like schools, clinics, and housing developments, cities must enforce construction codes requiring these kinds of designs. Urban landscapes can be affected by the broad adoption of these elements in public and private developments, which training programs for architects and builders can ensure.

Involving the community is equally essential for enhancing heat resilience. Through neighbourhood-level involvement, shaded water stations, and early warnings, the heat response plan in Ahmedabad has saved lives. Other cities can adopt this approach by planning community-managed cooling shelters during seasons of extreme heat, local awareness campaigns, and tree-planting efforts. Another essential tool is real-time temperature monitoring. Hotspots may be located using local weather stations and high-resolution heat maps, which enables authorities to allocate resources effectively. Vulnerable people are put at more risk when actions are sluggish, and resources are dispersed without adequate tracking.

Protecting Vulnerable Populations and Learning from Global Examples

India needs a national heatwave action plan as extreme heat disproportionately affects outdoor workers, such as construction workers, street vendors, sanitation personnel, and agricultural labourers. These populations are particularly vulnerable to heat stress and associated illnesses because they frequently lack access to basic precautions. Low-cost risk mitigation strategies that employers and local authorities can put into place include stopping outdoor work from 12 PM to 4 PM on days with high temperatures, offering 10-minute breaks in shaded areas every hour, making sure that employees drink water or electrolytes every 30 minutes; providing light-coloured, loose clothing and hats; creating shaded rest areas at work sites; and setting up community cooling shelters in public places like temples, schools, and halls. These actions can considerably lower worker illnesses and fatalities from heat-related causes.

India may learn from the successful heat mitigation techniques used by cities worldwide. Heat-related mortality has decreased in Ahmedabad thanks to its early warning system and training initiatives. While France keeps a list of older individuals at risk to protect them during heat waves, Singapore uses green roofs to increase thermal comfort in buildings. These illustrations show how minor, focused adjustments to design, planning, and public relations may have a significant impact. India has to take a year-round approach to heat management, incorporating these tactics into a unified national strategy that tackles the issues of rising temperatures in infrastructure, productivity, agriculture, and health.

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Integrating Green Infrastructure for Heat and Flood Management

Extreme heat and flooding are two problems that many Indian cities deal with, especially during the monsoon season; hence, India needs a national heatwave action plan. Green infrastructure provides an answer to these problems. In addition to managing stormwater, permeable pavements, green roofs, and rain gardens lower surface temperatures by improving evaporation and providing shade. Where flooding is a persistent issue, such as in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata, city development plans should incorporate sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). These systems can make cities more robust by minimising waterlogging and lowering local temperatures.

Green infrastructure has advantages that go beyond controlling temperature. The Mithi River Urban Forest project in Mumbai exemplifies how trees and water bodies work together to enhance cooling benefits. By expanding such programs nationwide, cities may improve biodiversity and air quality while battling heat waves. However, rather than surrendering green places for urban expansion, this calls for a dedication to maintaining and growing them. These multipurpose solutions must be prioritised in a national heatwave resilience policy so that cities can withstand heat and flooding as climate threats worsen.

In response to India’s increasing heatwave frequency, length, and intensity, action must be taken quickly and consistently. A systematic heatwave resilience policy is necessary, given that temperatures in Rajasthan are expected to reach 45°C and that urban heat islands increase the dangers in places like Delhi. Practical strategies to lessen the effects of heat include cool roofs, green infrastructure, climate-resilient building designs, and community-driven projects. India’s reaction can be strengthened further by safeguarding susceptible groups, such as outdoor labourers, and taking inspiration from international best practices. Treating heatwaves as a seasonal issue is no longer feasible because the risks are increasing, and postponing action would make management more difficult. To protect lives, livelihoods, and the country’s future in the face of climate change, a national policy combining immediate emergency measures with long-term urban planning is necessary.

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