Experts explain | Why India struggles to count heatwave deaths as climate change intensifies

📌 Summary:

• Context: Europe's June 20-28 heatwave caused 3,700 excess deaths in France, Belgium and the Netherlands — attributed almost entirely to climate change; a US 'heat dome' killed 25+ over the July 4 weekend with 20+ states above 38°C

• Core problem: unlike Europe, which estimates excess deaths, India lacks a comprehensive system to measure heat-related mortality — the true human cost of rising temperatures is largely unknown

• Why deaths go uncounted (causal chain): (1) heat is treated as a contributing factor, not a cause — when heat strains a weak heart, 'heart attack' is recorded; (2) official data counts only heatstroke deaths, not broader heat-related deaths; (3) undigitised records are excluded; (4) the private sector, delivering ~two-thirds of inpatient care, is outside the data net → fragmented estimates with large variation

• Adaptation vs evolution: Indians are not biologically evolved for heat but are behaviourally adapted (ventilated architecture, coolers, fans, matkas); Europe was never built for heat and is warming faster than it can adapt

• Wet-bulb danger: humidity prevents sweat evaporation; prolonged exposure above 35°C wet-bulb temperature can be fatal regardless of acclimatisation — coastal humid heat is deadlier than dry heat at the same reading

• Most vulnerable: outdoor informal workers (farmers, construction workers, street vendors, delivery riders) with no paid sick leave; also infants, elderly, pregnant women, chronically ill; a 2026 mortality study found UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan and Gujarat account for 60%+ of estimated heatwave deaths — poverty concentrates the risk

• Solution proposed: accurately track heat-related deaths and juxtapose them with daily temperatures to build an evidence base for tailor-made heat management policies

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Environment — climate change adaptation, heat action plans; GS1 Society — vulnerability of informal workers; GS2 Health — mortality data systems

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Wet-bulb temperature combines heat and humidity; >35°C sustained is fatal
• Europe's June 2026 heatwave: 3,700 excess deaths (France, Belgium, Netherlands)
• Five states (UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat) account for 60%+ of India's estimated heatwave deaths

🔑 Key Term: Wet-bulb temperature — lowest temperature achievable by evaporative cooling; a heat-humidity index of survivability, with 35°C as the theoretical human limit