Blitz Bureau
CALLING extreme heat a “global crisis,” Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra has urged coordinated international action during a keynote address at the Special Session on Extreme Heat Risk Governance hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Geneva recently.
Mishra’s remarks echoed the urgency expressed by the UN SecretaryGeneral, highlighting that rising temperatures now pose a systemic threat to public health, economic stability, and ecological resilience worldwide.
“Heatwaves are no longer seasonal inconveniences; they are transboundary, systemic risks—especially for densely populated urban areas,” Mishra said, emphasising the need for global collaboration on early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, and equity-focused interventions. Detailing India’s experience, Mishra said the country has shifted from reactive disaster response to proactive and integrated heat risk management under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He noted that since 2016, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued comprehensive national guidelines for heatwave management—revised in 2019—which have enabled decentralized action through Heat Action Plans (HAPs).
India now has over 250 cities and districts across 23 heat-prone states operating localised HAPs, supported by NDMA’s advisory and technical frameworks. The Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan, a pioneering model, was cited as a successful example of how early warning systems, inter-agency coordination, and community outreach can significantly reduce mortality during heatwaves. Mishra highlighted India’s “wholeof-government and whole-of-society” strategy, engaging ministries including health, agriculture, urban development, labour, power, education, and infrastructure.
“Extreme heat deeply impacts communities, and India has actively incorporated traditional wisdom and local experiences into its response,” he said, pointing to the role of schools in spreading climate awareness and of primary health centres in delivering frontline care during heat events. India’s response also includes longterm urban resilience measures such as cool roof technologies, passive cooling centers, greening of urban spaces, and the revival of traditional water bodies. Importantly, the integration of Urban Heat Island (UHI) assessments into urban planning is becoming a standard practice in several cities.
Announcing a major policy shift, Mishra said that National and State Disaster Mitigation Funds (SDMF) can now be used for heatwave mitigation, allowing local governments, private sector entities, NGOs, and individuals to co-finance adaptation projects. This move, he said, reflects India’s commitment to shared responsibility and community-driven resilience.
While acknowledging India’s progress, Dr. Mishra identified key global challenges, including the need for a localized heat-humidity index using realtime data, and the development of affordable, culturally appropriate passive cooling innovations.
