Development and Implementation of South Asia’s First Heat-Health Action Plan in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India)

Abstract

Recurrent heat waves, already a concern in rapidly growing and urbanizing South Asia, will very likely worsen in a warming world. Coordinated adaptation efforts can reduce heat’s adverse health impacts, however. To address this concern in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India), a coalition has been formed to develop an evidence-based heat preparedness plan and early warning system. This paper describes the group and initial steps in the plan’s development and implementation. Evidence accumulation included extensive literature review, analysis of local temperature and mortality data, surveys with heat-vulnerable populations, focus groups with health care professionals, and expert consultation. The findings and recommendations were encapsulated in policy briefs for key government agencies, health care professionals, outdoor workers, and slum communities, and synthesized in the heat preparedness plan. A 7-day probabilistic weather forecast was also developed and is used to trigger the plan in advance of dangerous heat waves. The pilot plan was implemented in 2013, and public outreach was done through training workshops, hoardings/billboards, pamphlets, and print advertisements. Evaluation activities and continuous improvement efforts are ongoing, along with plans to explore the program’s scalability to other Indian cities, as Ahmedabad is the first South Asian city to address heat-health threats comprehensively.

Potential applications of subseasonal‐to‐seasonal (S2S) predictions

“…Such actions appear in heat wave early warning plans (e.g. Ebi et al, 2003;Knowlton et al, 2014) and cyclone preparedness plans (e.g. Roy et al, 2015), which could be expanded to include 'Ready' actions within the S2S timescale.…”

Communicating the deadly consequences of global warming for human heat stress

“…Some city authorities are already taking steps to limit the effects of extreme heat. For instance, Ahmadabad (India) recently implemented South Asia's first comprehensive heat action plan, which may soon be expanded across the region (36). Given the dual pressures of climate change and population growth on heat stress identified here, we foresee a need for such plans to be adopted more widely across vulnerable regions.…”

Opportunities and Challenges in Public Health Data Collection in Southern Asia: Examples from Western India and Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

“…In Ahmedabad, for example, the Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study group (working in conjunction with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation) used the existing registry data on mortality outcomes to develop a heat wave early warning system, the first such system to be implemented in South Asia [27]. This early warning system has been successful at improving health outcomes in the city during times of extreme temperature in subsequent heat wave seasons.…”