Heatwave Havoc: 35,000 Lives Lost in India Between 2001–2019, Study Reveals

A recent analysis that was conducted and published in the journal Temperature estimates at least 35,000 deaths that resulted from very high and very low temperature exposures between 2001 and 2019. The study estimated that 19,693 died of heatstroke and 15,197 due to cold exposure in the same time frame with 2015 having 1,907 recorded deaths from heat and 1,147 due to cold only.

The study, relying on reports from the India Meteorological Department and National Crime Records Bureau, shows the trend of heatstroke and cold exposure deaths on the rise. Disproportionately hit were working-age men whose deaths due to heat were three to five times greater than those of women, and cold deaths were four to seven times greater than female cold deaths. 

Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab had the highest heatstroke deaths, and Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar had the highest cold exposure deaths.

Researchers noted that these types of deaths are mostly avoidable with strengthened preparedness and mitigation strategies. They demanded the upgrading and intensification of heat and cold action plans at once, particularly in vulnerable states, in order to mitigate the health effects of heat and cold. 

The report is timely given India's experience of increasingly severe and frequent heatwaves due to climate change, and appropriate measures should be taken with urgency to make due provisions to safeguard the public's health.