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India entered yet another summer marked by record-breaking temperatures with states already recording heat wave conditions. However, even as state governments announce increasingly ambitious interventions, experts have told Down To Earth that the gap between policy and implementation remains the country’s biggest climate governance challenge.
This is especially concerning as India remains among the countries most vulnerable to heat stress. Heat exposure has led to the loss of 247 billion potential labour hours in 2024, marking a record high and a 124 per cent increase compared to 1990-1999 levels, according to the 2025 edition of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.
In March 2026, there was an unusual rise in temperatures in states like Himanchal Pradesh, underlining the growing intensity and unpredictability of extreme heat events.
As the impacts of extreme heat intensify, Indian state governments are increasingly being pushed to move beyond short-term emergency responses.
From Delhi’s graded heat alerts to Rajasthan’s cooling stations for informal workers, several states have institutionalised heat governance through Heat Action Plans (HAPs), disaster financing mechanisms, and urban cooling policies. According to the Union government, over 250 cities and districts across 23 heat-prone states have operational HAPs.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report extreme heat in India 2026, several Indian states are pioneering innovative heat resilience measures.
Let’s take a look at what different states are doing.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has moved toward heat resilience by declaring heat waves a state-specific disaster, allowing the use of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) funds for relief and preparedness. The state has launched both state- and city-level HAPs alongside Urban Cooling Guidelines that promote cool roofs, passive cooling, urban greening, and climate-responsive planning. Its Urban Greening Policy mandates at least 15 per cent green cover in urban areas, while the “Green Schools” initiative has reduced classroom temperatures by 3-4°C occupied-hour classroom temperatures from 31°C down to 27°C through cool roof coatings. The state has also partnered with the UK government to establish a Heat Resilience Centre focused on technical support and coordination.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra’s HAP adopts a multi-sectoral approach combining early warning systems, public health preparedness, infrastructure adaptation, and water-energy security measures. The state has identified Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Khandesh as high-risk regions through vulnerability mapping. Amravati Municipal Corporation has introduced mandatory cool roof bylaws for large buildings to reduce indoor temperatures. Further strengthening its institutional framework, Maharashtra is also setting up a Centre of Excellence for Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling to strengthen long-term institutional capacity and coordination.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh has expanded HAP coverage across most districts and introduced district-specific heat wave thresholds to improve the accuracy of heat alerts and anticipatory response. The state’s Urban Green Policy promotes climate-sensitive urban planning through Miyawaki forests, sponge parks, green roofs, and vertical gardens aimed at reducing urban heat island effects and improving cooling in cities.
Telangana
Telangana has adopted a policy-led approach to heat mitigation through the implementation of the Cool Roof Policy (2023-2028), which promotes cost-effective measures to reduce indoor heat exposure, particularly in low-income and high-density areas. The state has declared heat waves a state-specific disaster, enabling SDRF-backed relief and preparedness measures. Heat mitigation has also been linked with wider environmental programmes such as Haritha Haram for afforestation and Mission Kakatiya for water restoration, which contribute to long-term climate resilience and heat reduction.
Delhi
Delhi’s HAP, implemented under the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), uses graded heat alerts that trigger department-wise action for coordinated response during extreme heat events. The plan includes targeted measures for outdoor workers and informal settlements while also focusing on long-term mitigation through cool roofs, passive cooling, and urban greening. The government has initiated pilot cool roof projects at Kashmere Gate and Anand Vihar ISBTs as part of a wider city-level cooling strategy.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan has declared heat waves a state-specific disaster and expanded district-level HAPs focused on operational implementation. Plans include shaded worksites, drinking water points, rescheduling outdoor work during peak heat hours, and targeted public awareness campaigns for vulnerable groups. Cities such as Jodhpur have introduced community-based warning systems and cooling infrastructure, including a net-zero cooling station capable of reducing temperatures by 8-12°C using passive cooling and renewable energy systems. A net-zero cooling station in 2024 is a notable example.
Kerala
Kerala has recognised heat waves as a state-specific disaster and launched a state HAP integrating heat-health protocols into governance. The state has pioneered decentralised planning through one of India’s first village-level HAPs in Kozhikode’s Moodadi Grama Panchayat. Funds have been allocated to district collectors for cooling centres and water kiosks, while all local bodies have been directed to prepare decentralised HAPs linked with the state’s broader climate resilience strategy. These efforts are holistically integrated into the State Action Plan on Climate Change (2023–2030), which prioritises long-term climate resilience and public health.
But the rapid spread of HAPs across India also masks deeper structural challenges.
According to environmental and climate justice campaigner Avinash Chanchal, although more than 130 Indian cities now have HAPs, many remain “largely guiding documents on paper.”
“Most plans still fail to adequately address the realities faced by outdoor workers, home-based workers, communities living in informal settlements, women, elderly people, and children,” Chanchal said. He added that without “legal backing, accountability mechanisms, adequate funding, and sector-specific targets with timelines,” these plans are struggling to effectively reduce rising heat risks.
He further stressed that while heat alerts and awareness campaigns are important, cities must also address the deeper structural causes of heat exposure. Citing concerns over concretisation, shrinking green spaces, and poor urban planning, Chanchal noted that “millions of people continue to live in inadequate housing conditions that trap heat”.
“Unless cities address these structural issues, HAPs will remain limited to short-term coping measures rather than long-term solutions,” he said.
Reflecting on the evolution of HAPs since Ahmedabad introduced India’s first HAP in 2013, Chanchal said there has been a “growing acknowledgement of heat as a serious public health and climate crisis”.
He pointed to interventions such as drinking water points, cooling shelters, and awareness campaigns as positive developments, but warned that “the scale of the crisis is much larger than the current response”.
He also noted that while Ahmedabad is often recognised for pioneering heat planning in India, “no city can yet be considered fully prepared for the scale of the heat crisis we are facing.”
According to Chanchal, an effective heat governance model must combine “early warning systems with long-term urban planning, worker protection, public health preparedness, climate-resilient housing, expansion of green and blue spaces, and strong accountability backed by adequate funding”.
