Include heatwaves in disaster management plans: Parliamentary panel tells Centre

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has suggested that the Centre include "new and emerging" disasters, such as heatwaves, in its disaster management plans.

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in a report tabled in the Rajya Sabha last week, also recommended setting up a system to regularly review and update the official list of disasters.

"The committee recommends that the ministry may include new and emerging disasters in its disaster management plans, such as those caused by heatwaves etc. It further recommends establishing a formal mechanism for the periodic review and update of the Notified Disasters list to ensure the Act remains relevant and responsive to emerging disaster risks through consultation with experts, stakeholders and affected communities," the report read.

The 31-member committee, headed by BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, also urged the ministry to study and plan for long-term disaster preparedness, considering climate change and the increasing frequency of disasters.

It recommended greater investment in disaster-resistant infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and transport systems, to reduce damage and speed up recovery.

Amruta S Nair, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace India, said the parliamentary committee's recommendation to include heatwaves in the notified disasters list is a welcome and long-overdue step that highlights the growing severity of the heat crisis.

"It ensures heatwaves are prioritized in disaster management and response, covering prevention, mitigation and recovery. However, for this move to be truly effective, we must ensure there are no gaps in the financial aspects and execution as well," she said.

Nair called for a dedicated "heat budget" for heat action plans, along with legally binding and time-bound goals for accountability.

She also recommended setting up a specialised body to oversee these efforts and ensure coordination across departments for a unified response. "We need a holistic approach from policy to action to make this move both effective and fruitful." Currently, the notified list of disasters eligible for National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) assistance includes cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloudbursts, pest attacks, frost and cold waves.

However, state governments can use up to 10 per cent of their annual SDRF allocation, subject to certain conditions, to provide immediate relief for natural disasters they consider significant within the local context, even if they are not included in the centrally notified list.

States have previously requested the Centre to add incidents such as elephant attacks, lightning, heatwaves, river and coastal erosion, and public health emergencies like Japanese encephalitis, Nipah and the COVID-19 pandemic to the eligible list for SDRF and NDRF funding.

Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh recently told the Lok Sabha that the 15th Finance Commission had examined states' requests to expand the list of notified disasters to include heatwaves but did not find merit in it.

According to government data, extreme heat and sunstroke claimed 10,635 lives in India over the 10-year period from 2013.

India experienced an exceptionally harsh summer last year, recording 536 heatwave days, the highest in 14 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Official data showed that during one of the hottest and longest heatwaves, India recorded 41,789 suspected heat stroke cases and 143 heat-related deaths.

The IMD has forecast above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures across most parts of the country this summer as well.