India's heatwave response hindered by underreported fatalities: Report
India's ability to respond effectively to increasingly severe heatwaves is being compromised by a probable undercounting of heat-related deaths, say public health experts. The country recently experienced its most intense heatwave in over a decade, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in some areas. Despite hundreds of reported deaths and illnesses, experts believe the actual death toll is much higher due to many fatalities not being officially recorded as heat-related.
Inaccurate data hinders heat wave preparedness
Public health professionals are concerned that the underreporting of heat-related deaths is preventing the issue from being prioritized correctly. This lack of accurate data is believed to obstruct officials from implementing effective measures to prepare residents for extreme temperatures. "Most doctors just record the immediate cause of death and attribution to environmental triggers like heat are not recorded," stated Reddy, founder of the Public Health Foundation of India.
Discrepancies in heat-related death statistics
Research indicates that all of India's warmest years on record have occurred within the last decade. Between 2008 and 2019, up to 1,116 people died annually due to heat. However, Reddy suggests these figures may be significantly lower than the reality due to "incomplete reporting, delayed reporting and misclassification of deaths." Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar, concurs with Reddy's assessment.
Heatstroke cases and deaths
Mavalankar highlighted a stark contrast between the number of recorded heatstroke cases and reported deaths. While there were 40,000 recorded cases of heat stroke this year, only 110 deaths were reported. "This is just 0.3% of the total number of heatstroke cases recorded, but usually heat deaths should be 20 to 30% of heatstroke cases," he explained.
Ahmedabad's heat action plan
Mavalankar played a key role in developing India's first-ever heat action plan for Ahmedabad in 2013, following a heatwave that resulted in over 1,300 deaths. The plan included measures such as increasing access to shaded areas and ensuring hospitals were adequately stocked and staffed during heat waves. This reportedly reduced fatalities during heatwaves by around 40%. However, he noted that the lack of accurate data on national level makes it challenging to replicate Ahmedabad's success across the country.
Data collection on heat-related deaths in India
The Indian government collects data on heat-related deaths through the health ministry's National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which is then shared with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). However, discrepancies exist between different sources of official data. In 2020, the crime records bureau recorded 530 deaths from heatstroke, while the disaster agency reported just four. "Not reporting these deaths, sharing data, is like the India Meteorological Department not sharing weather data," Mavalankar said.
