Every summer, India faces dangerous heatwaves — long periods of extremely hot weather. But while we all feel the heat, we don’t know exactly how many people are dying because of it. Why? Because the way we keep track of heat-related deaths is confusing and broken.Take this story: Last year in Delhi, a man who collected garbage collapsed from the heat. His family rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. Since they couldn’t “prove” he died due to heat, they got no help or compensation — and his death wasn’t officially counted.This happens more often than we think.Right now, different government departments collect different numbers. One department says around 3,800 people died from heat between 2015 and 2022. Another says over 8,000. A third reports about 3,400. That’s a huge difference!Why is the data so messy?Because hospitals still write things down by hand, and many don’t share the information properly. Also, if someone dies before reaching the hospital or outside, it often doesn’t get counted. Some officials even say death numbers might be kept low to avoid giving out compensation.Experts say India needs a single, strong system to track heat-related deaths. Without correct numbers, the government can’t prepare or protect people in future heatwaves.
