Training Workshop Advances Heat Preparedness in Uttar Pradesh, India

Co-authored with Abhiyant Tiwari and Dr. Ritika Kapoor of NRDC India and Sameeha Hossain, NRDC Intern and Graduate Student at the Yale School of Public Health

The climate crisis registered in a new and alarming way this week as scientists documented the two warmest days ever observed over a century-plus period of reliable recordkeeping. The escalating emissions of climate-warming fossil fuel pollution are, without a doubt, worsening dangerous heat in many parts of the globe and making extreme heat episodes longer, more frequent, and more intense. India has this year suffered through one of its worst heat seasons on record, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsus on some days.

The health dangers of extreme heat in India have made headlines this year due to a rash of deaths during election season when hundreds of millions of people braved extreme temperatures to cast ballots over twelve polling days that coincided with the most intense period of extreme heat that the country recorded this year. India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asserted strong leadership to help states and cities better prepare for periods of extreme heat through a number of specific efforts, including national guidelines on Heat Action Plan development, heat preparedness briefings for high-level government offices, an annual convening ahead of the heat season, and development of a new national framework to facilitate action towards longer term built environment solutions that can help cities to moderate extreme heat risks.

Heat Action Plans (HAPs) that organize city government heat responses and establish heat-health early warning systems using temperature forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are proven solutions in India that can deliver substantial health benefits. While HAP implementation and broader heat preparedness in India is expanding and strengthening at many levels of government and civil society, there’s still much work to be done, especially at the state level. Many cities, for example, have drafted HAPs but these plans lack specificity around local hazards and how to respond to them in a way that prioritizes the most heat-vulnerable groups.

Heat Action Plan Training Workshop in Uttar Pradesh

Last week, state leaders and municipal staff from urban local bodies in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh convened in the state’s capital city, Lucknow, for a workshop convened by NDMA, NRDC, and the Uttar Pradesh State Government– a gathering focused on delivering training and guidance for improving Heat Action Plan implementation across the region. This state is an ideal setting for such a training, as it is home to over 240 million people and recently developed a statewide HAP. 

Technical Sessions Showcase Indian Adaptation Expertise

The workshop’s first day opened with remarks from Ms. Dipa Bagai (Country Head of NRDC India) and Dr. Krishna Vats (Member, NDMA) calling attention to the importance of stronger heat planning in light of the health toll suffered from heat this year. During the opening session workshop participants also heard from state government leaders at the State Disaster Management Authority, and Relief Commissioner’s office.

Subsequent sessions focused on the discussion of technical content on the heat hazard and response actions, drawing on a wide range of expertise across government, academia, and civil society:

• Heat Risks: Experts from NDMA and IMD spoke to the national extreme heat risk  profile and the ways in which climate change is triggering more intense heat across the country.
• Heat Action Planning History: NRDC India and Sustainable Future Collectives (SFC) experts provided context on the HAP approach and insights from a recent analysis of these plans that identified key areas for improvement.
• Human Vulnerability: High temperatures do not harm all people in the same way, and most HAPs do not adequately address this inequitable health burden. Experts from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, United Nations Environment Program and Ashoka University provided insights on how to conduct population vulnerability assessments that can guide HAP interventions to keep vulnerable populations safer.
• Community Engagement: Consulting and collaborating with local communities is an essential component of HAP success, and experts from Mahila Housing Trust offered guidance on how to best engage local communities in HAP development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Heatwave Mitigation Solutions: Leaders from NRDC and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure connected HAP actions to other urban cooling needs and risks related to the power sector.
• Health Sector Responses: Health experts from the National Centre for Disease Control and NRDC discussed new systems for tracking extreme heat impacts on health in India and heat adaptation solutions like cool roofs and urban greening that can also deliver health benefits from improved air quality.
• Financing and Governance: Expert trainers from NRDC India and SFC highlighted the importance of strong governance mechanisms to support HAP implementation and a range of government funding schemes that could help to support plan implementation.

Group Exercise on Heat Action Plan Development

On the workshop’s second day, expert trainers led small groups of participants through an interactive exercise to sharpen understanding of how to apply specific HAP components in practice. Each small group developed a draft rapid Heat Action Plan for Lucknow, drawing on local understanding of heat risks, financing mechanisms, and intervention opportunities. Each group presented its HAP highlights to the rest of the audience in a lively discussion that illustrated the interdisciplinary nature of adaptation planning and the value of local expertise and perspective in tailoring interventions. This exercise helped to clarify how HAP actions, backed up by a nuanced understanding of local contexts, can take shape to deliver action over the short, medium, and long term.

Preparing For Worsening Heat Risks

One of the key takeaways from the workshop was the necessity of year-round heat preparedness, and participants are now engaging in further heat readiness planning in their own cities. Heat Action Plans should not be mere paper exercises but should serve as actionable blueprints for cities to deploy throughout the year. Achievement of that ambitious goal requires continuous collaboration, proactive measures, and consistent evaluation and improvement. Moving forward, NRDC will strengthen its collaborations with local organizations, government bodies, and communities in UP to implement and refine heat resilience strategies.

As cities in Uttar Pradesh move forward with efforts to strengthen local heat adaptation, their actions can complement other government initiatives to secure wider access to equitable cooling solutions. The state’s forthcoming Urban Cooling Policy, the focus of another recent workshop in Lucknow, is poised to deliver broader government support for cool roofs, energy efficient fans and air conditioning, and other built environment enhancements that will help to address the urban heat island effect.

Extreme heat risks are worsening all around the world, as demonstrated by this week’s Call to Action from the United Nations Secretary-General. This month’s workshop in India, the world’s most populous nation and a country acutely aware of heat hazards, embodies the local consultation and implementation-oriented approach that is sorely needed to address this intensifying global challenge.