The challenge
Extreme heat killed many people in Ahmedabad, with about 1,344 excess deaths in one 2010 heatwave.
The case
After a May 2010 heatwave linked to about 1,344 excess deaths, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation worked with the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar and US partners to launch a Heat Action Plan in 2013. It set temperature thresholds for colour-coded alerts, sent warnings by text message and media, trained health workers, prepared hospitals and opened cool spaces and water points. A pilot evaluation compared deaths in 2014–2015 with a 2007–2010 baseline. It found that deaths on the hottest days fell after the plan, and estimated about 1,190 deaths avoided per year. Many other Indian cities and states have since copied the approach.
Why it worked
Simple temperature-triggered alerts tied to pre-agreed actions by city services can cut heat deaths at low cost, though a before-and-after design cannot rule out other changes.
Sources
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