New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India organised a meeting of its Core Group on Environment & Climate on the theme ‘Heat Wave and its Mitigation in Urban Areas’ in hybrid mode at Manav Adhikar Bhavan, New Delhi. The meet generated lots of interest among various stakeholders and saw a very meaningful participation. Chairperson, Justice V. Ramasubramanian while presiding the meeting, said that there is a recurring annual discourse on pollution in winter and heat waves in summer for some time now without any visible effects of the mitigation efforts to protect human life from the impact of these crises. NHRC Members, Justice (Dr.) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani; Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal; DG (I), Smt. Anupama Nilekar Chandra; Joint Secretary, Smt. Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak; Core Group members, Special Rapporteurs, Special Monitors, senior functionaries of Government of India and various parastatal organisations; Municipal Commissioners of Ahmedabad and Indore, eminent domain experts and members of civil society organisations were present in the meeting.
Justice Ramasubramanian said that the evolution of human rights initially focused on civil, political, social, cultural and economic rights after the First and Second World Wars, while environmental rights remained largely overlooked. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted in 1948, serious discourse on environmental rights began around 1970 following growing awareness of environmental degradation and major ecological disasters.
He said that the industrial revolution contributed so much to climate change and the consequent heat wave that we started realising it after it really impacted our lives. He said that if you read about the Gandhian economy, he never contemplated the industrialisation of the entire country. He thought that every village should be self-reliant, but the reverse happened, resulting in migration from villages to urban areas. He said that unliveable rural conditions and the growth of ‘concrete jungles’ in cities have further contributed to rising temperatures and heat wave-related challenges. The damage caused to the environment over the decades cannot be reversed and the focus must be on mitigating its impact. It is not possible for us to put the clock back. He emphasised that the destruction of water bodies and forests is the primary cause of increasing heat stress, advocating for stronger protection of existing natural ecosystems, stricter regulation of construction around water bodies and actionable recommendations focused on sustainable urban development.
Prof. (Retd.) N. H. Ravindranath, Centre for Sustainable Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru called for a broader heat wave definition incorporating humidity, vegetation and land-surface factors, alongside ward-level forecasting, AI-driven vulnerability mapping, stronger heat action plans, dedicated heat officers and protection for vulnerable workers. Dr. Akhil Srivastava, DG, IMD said that above-normal heat wave days are expected in June across several states and outlined IMD’s multi-tier forecasting and warning system and highlighted efforts to deliver heat alerts and advisories directly to vulnerable groups such as street vendors and gig workers.
The key suggestions that emanated from the discussion were:
- Develop ward-level heat vulnerability and resilience maps using GIS, remote sensing, AI, land surface temperature and social vulnerability indicators, supported by localised forecasting, early warning systems and a composite Heat Vulnerability Index.
- Institutionalise Heat Action Plans and their implementation across all states, districts and cities through dedicated Heat Officers, integrated governance dashboards, regular monitoring and inter-departmental coordination.
- Improve heat wave mortality and morbidity surveillance through a unified, scientifically validated reporting and data management system.
- Protect vulnerable populations through occupational heat-safety standards, social protection measures, community cooling centres, accessible public green spaces and targeted interventions for migrants, gig workers, women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
- Strengthen heat-health preparedness through specialised heatstroke management units, trained healthcare personnel, emergency cooling equipment, ambulances and integration of heat-health education into medical and public health curricula.
- Mandate heat-resilient and climate-sensitive urban design, including passive cooling, cool roofs, reflective materials, retrofitting of existing buildings, ventilation corridors and climate-responsive building standards.
- Expand nature-based solutions by increasing urban green cover, native tree plantations, urban forests, green corridors, wetland buffers and restoring rivers, lakes, wetlands and other blue-green infrastructure.
- Promote sustainable water management through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, wastewater reuse and protection of urban water bodies and catchment areas.
- Regulate waste heat emissions, introduce heat-resilience ratings for buildings and residential complexes and strengthen enforcement of environmental, building and urban planning regulations through periodic compliance audits.
- Strengthen public awareness and risk communication through multilingual, accessible and community-based outreach, including voice-based alerts for digitally excluded populations.
- Mainstream heat resilience into city master plans, development plans, municipal budgets and climate action strategies, backed by dedicated funding and institutional support at all levels of government.
The Commission will further deliberate on these suggestions to finalise its recommendations to the centre and state governments.
