Rural communities are disproportionately impacted by the adverse effects of extreme climatic conditions. Recent heat waves across northern India have been a sobering reminder of the impacts of extreme temperatures on the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities, and have prompted the need for holistic strategies to build climate resilience.
Climate change has made heat waves over the Indian sub-continent more intense and frequent. This summer India witnessed the highest number of heat wave days in over a decade. More specifically, the months of May and June were marked with record-breaking temperatures, with the northern parts of the country experiencing temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius [1].
Impacts of Heat Waves on Rural India:
This year the country recorded more than 40,000 suspected cases of heat strokes and over 150 deaths in June[2]. However, rural communities faced more pronounced challenges due to these extreme temperatures. Factors such as limited public health infrastructure, dependence on agriculture, labour-intensive outdoor work, and lack of awareness about the impacts of heat waves, added to their difficulties. Instances of heat stress, strokes, and even pre mature child births were recorded.
Extended periods of above-average temperatures, heightened the rural population’s pre- existing vulnerabilities. Residing in non-permanent structures, using dry wood as fuel, and having limited resources for medical recourse, further reduced their ability to respond to periods of extreme temperatures effectively.
The intersection of developmental challenges and climate change-induced disasters makes some sections of the rural populations more vulnerable to heat-related distress. The worst hit among the rural communities were the rural poor, agricultural workers, senior citizens, and children. While the public health infrastructure was stretched out to its seams while dealing with an uptick in cases of heat strokes and heat stress, a need was felt for more holistic strategies to address these challenges.
Localized and Collaborative Approaches:
At the sub-national level, India has Heat Action Plans (HAPs), which are designed to prepare and respond to heat waves. However, these plans fell short in responding to heat stress due to the long-lasting duration of the recent heat waves. Thus, there is a need to adapt these HAPs to the local context by placing vulnerable communities at its center.
Additionally, a more collaborative approach among the local governments and civil society needs to be forged for last-mile implementation of these plans. Moreover, to address the intersectionality of developmental and climatic challenges, there is a need to synergize efforts by departments spanning public health, disaster management, and local administration.
So far, the government has relied heavily on singular solutions such as early warning systems. While prediction tools have seen massive advancements in accuracy, there is a need for multi-pronged solutions. Now the focus needs to shift away from prediction tools to collective efforts for mapping vulnerabilities, implementing heat action plans, identifying local hotspots, and awareness generation focusing on health and well-being.
These will require working closely with rural communities for early identification of heat- induced distress. Furthermore, the potential of community involvement in averting human casualties needs to be tapped into. Involving local leadership and influential members of the rural communities in promoting practices that can safeguard individuals from extended heat exposure can be crucial in building resilience among the most vulnerable.
At a policy level, the inclusion of “heat waves” as a notified disaster under the National Disaster Management Act 2005 can go a long way in recognizing its devastating impacts on lives, livelihoods, and critical ecosystem services. While heat waves may appear as a natural disaster, their impacts are felt differently by different groups of people. These tend to be more extreme for a few and lesser for others. Recognizing the play of inter-sectionality and identifying the role of gender, occupation, economic status, and region, among others holds the key to holistically addressing these challenges.
About the Author:
Sanika Potnis works as a research assistant under the Energy, Environment and Climate Change (EECC) research program at the Pune International Centre.
Source Links:
[1] NDTV
[2] AP News