Why aren’t Heatwaves a disaster?

India is grappling with severe and prolonged heat waves. And the situation is only getting worse year after year. In April 2023, temperatures soared well above normal in over 60% of India. Despite numerous of deaths, heatwaves have not been declared as a national disaster. This means there's very little funds allocated for heatwave mitigation, adaptation and relief.

We the undersigned, hereby demand

1. Heatwave be  declared as a notified national disaster to ensure adequate support to worst affected communities and to also ensure adaptation measures are systemically implemented

2. The Government allocate a central fund and create a nodal agency to coordinate Heat Action Plans(HAP)