Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Heat Action Plan (HAP)
"A government-prepared framework for early warning, inter-agency coordination, and public response to mitigate heatwave casualties — pioneered in India by Ahmedabad in 2013."
A Heat Action Plan (HAP) is a structured, multi-agency preparedness and response framework that a city or state government develops to manage the health and social impacts of heatwaves. It typically includes: (1) an early warning system linked to IMD forecasts with colour-coded alert levels (Yellow/Orange/Red); (2) pre-positioning of resources — cooling centres, ORS packets, ice, additional ambulances; (3) inter-agency coordination protocols between the health department, disaster management authority, municipality, and police; (4) public awareness campaigns targeting vulnerable populations; and (5) post-event review mechanisms. Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan (2013): India's first city-level HAP, developed after the 2010 heatwave killed 1,344 people in Gujarat. Ahmedabad's HAP demonstrated that structured early warning and cooling centres could reduce heat deaths by approximately 40%. The model has since been replicated by over 100 Indian cities. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and MoHFW issue national advisories and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for heat emergencies. However, no dedicated national Heat Act exists in India — unlike the EU or US — and the HAP framework remains non-statutory. Key vulnerabilities addressed by HAPs: outdoor workers (construction, agriculture, brick kilns), elderly, children under 5, urban slum dwellers, homeless persons, and pregnant/lactating women. Wet-bulb temperature monitoring is increasingly being integrated into advanced HAPs as a metric for survivability risk.
Important for UPSC GS3 (Disaster Management, Climate Change Adaptation) and GS2 (Governance, Health). Ahmedabad HAP is the standard example for India's first city-level climate adaptation response. NDMA's role in heat governance is relevant for Prelims. GS3 Mains: 'India's disaster governance framework underperforms on slow-onset climatic disasters' — HAPs as partial solution. The absence of a national Heat Act despite rising heatwave deaths is a governance gap frequently discussed in editorials.
- 1 Ahmedabad HAP (2013): India's first city-level Heat Action Plan — model for India and globally
- 2 Developed following deadly 2010 Gujarat heatwave (1,344 killed in Ahmedabad alone)
- 3 Core components: early warning (IMD alerts), cooling centres, ORS distribution, inter-agency coordination
- 4 Impact: ~40% reduction in heat deaths in Ahmedabad during 2015 heatwave
- 5 ~100 Indian cities now have HAPs; most untested under extreme conditions
- 6 NDMA and MoHFW issue national advisories; no statutory national Heat Act exists
- 7 IMD colour-coded system: Green (no action) → Yellow (watch) → Orange (alert) → Red (take action)
- 8 Rural areas, construction workers, and informal sector remain poorly covered by existing HAPs
During the April 2026 heatwave, states with active Heat Action Plans — such as Odisha and Telangana — activated cooling centres, pre-positioned ORS, and issued advisories for outdoor workers, while states without formal HAPs relied on ad hoc responses, illustrating the governance gap in heatwave preparedness.
