Seeing red: India had over 700 heat deaths in 2024, much higher than official toll, claim scientists

A new report has revealed the devastating impact of heatwaves in India this summer, with hundreds of deaths attributed to extreme temperatures and inadequate response systems. While the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 360 heatstroke deaths, the report identified a significantly higher toll of 733 deaths and over 40,000 heatstroke cases in 17 states.

Between March and June 2024, India experienced record-breaking temperatures, with 37 cities surpassing 45 degrees Celsius.

The report, titled Struck by Heat: A News Analysis of Heatstroke Deaths in India in 2024, was released by the non-profit HeatWatch. It highlighted significant discrepancies between official government death counts and those identified through media reports.

The discrepancy was attributed to factors such as inadequate data collection methods, lack of awareness among healthcare professionals and insufficient implementation of government guidelines. The report emphasised the urgent need for improved heatwave preparedness and response measures to prevent future tragedies.

Three key guidelines were issued by the National Programme on Climate Change & Human Health (NPCCHH) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) aimed at reducing heat-related deaths. These included the 2021 National Action Plan on Heat-related Illnesses and the newly introduced 2024 guidelines on emergency cooling and autopsy findings for heat-related deaths.

According to the report, many healthcare professionals remained unaware of these protocols and the infrastructure in hospitals was inadequate to tackle rising heatstroke cases.

One of the report’s most damning findings was the failure of authorities to implement safety measures during mass gatherings. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, heat mitigation protocols were allegedly neglected, leading to avoidable deaths. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 33 polling officers reportedly died from heatstroke due to the lack of cooling facilities at polling stations.

A presiding officer during elections in Odisha, amid a severe heatwave, shared her experience in Down To Earth (DTE). She recounted how the extreme heat in Kalahandi district claimed the lives of several presiding officers following the first phase of the Vidhan Sabha elections.

HeatWatch’s report emphasised the urgent need for a transparent, publicly accessible data system to track heatwave deaths. The Integrated Health Information Platform, which was intended to collect state-wise data on heat-related fatalities, was not open to the public, limiting civil society’s ability to monitor the crisis.

The organisation’s recommendations included establishing local temperature thresholds to improve early warnings, mandating capacity-building training for healthcare workers and increasing funding for Heat Action Plans (HAP). These plans, though essential, remained underfunded and their implementation was often reactive, following media pressure or public outcry.

The report also quoted professor Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), who underscored the severe underreporting of heatwave-related deaths and economic losses in India. HeatWatch’s findings corroborated these concerns, reinforcing the need for more transparent, consistent and timely reporting of heatstroke cases.

Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the severity of India’s heatwave, reported DTE in July 2024, noting a concerning trend of faster increases in nighttime temperatures compared to daytime temperatures.

Nighttime temperatures, or daily minimums, reached extraordinary levels across the country this year, surpassing historical records in multiple locations, it stated.

In Alwar, Rajasthan, the temperature on the night of June 18 soared to 37°C, the highest minimum recorded in 55 years. Delhi experienced similarly extreme conditions, with temperatures reaching 35.2°C, 4-7°C above normal. Other regions, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh, also recorded unusually warm nights.

The IMD classifies nights with minimum temperatures 4-6.4°C above average as “warm” and those exceeding 6.4°C as “severe warm”. These terms were prominently used in weather forecasts for the first time this summer.

An analysis by DTE revealed that 17 of India’s 36 states and Union Territories experienced warm nights between March 1 and June 25. Some regions, like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, faced these conditions as early as March. By April, the phenomenon had spread nationwide.

Delhi’s heatwave was particularly severe. In May and June, the city recorded 24 nights with temperatures above 30°C, double the average for the 2001-2010 decade. Think tank Centre for Science and Environment also found that the national capital’s average minimum temperature in May and June reached 28.9°C, the highest in the 21st century.

The national capital’s average nighttime temperature in May rose from 23.6°C (2001-2010) to 24.5°C (2020-2023) and further to 28°C in May 2024. This 4.4°C increase significantly outpaced the 1.8°C rise in daytime temperatures, indicating a worrying shift in the region’s climate.