South Asian countries join forces to tackle rising heat risks

India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan have joined forces to strengthen their response to rising extreme heat risks, as an unprecedented El Niño event increases the likelihood of another severe heat season across South Asia.

Four country-level assessments launched at the Global Heat Forum in New Delhi on Thursday found that the four countries have made progress in heat action plans, forecasting and early-warning systems, but gaps remain in health surveillance, local financing and translating warnings into on-the-ground protection.

The assessments were prepared by the South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN), hosted in New Delhi by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), with partners including the Sustainable Futures Collaborative, Natural Resources Defense Council, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health and UNESCAP.

The assessments said heat, once concentrated mainly in the plains, is increasingly affecting the Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan.

In Bangladesh, feels-like temperatures, combining temperature and humidity, have risen by around 4.5°C since 1980, according to the World Bank, while nearly one-third of the year now brings dangerous humid heat.

Bangladesh has recognised heat in its national adaptation plan, prepared its first city heat action plan in Narayanganj and launched a national guideline on heat-related illness alongside the “B.E.A.T. the Heat” public awareness campaign.

The assessment recommended dedicated national and sub-national heat action plans and a heat-health surveillance system linking weather forecasts with hospitals.

India has made the most progress in the region, with more than 250 city and district heat action plans in place. Heatwaves are also recognised as a notified natural disaster under the country’s disaster risk management funding system.

More than 18,000 medical officers have been trained to respond to heat-related illness, while national surveillance systems have been established.

The assessment recommended taking heat action beyond disaster management by providing dedicated funding and incorporating health outcomes into heat action plans.

Nepal is also facing increasing extreme heat risks. The southern Terai plains recorded 50 days above 40°C in 2024, according to the country’s national meteorological department.

Nepal has issued its first federal heat plan and operates tiered heat alerts, but heat-related illness is not yet systematically recorded by the health system.

The assessment recommended mandatory recording of heat-related admissions at Terai hospitals and stronger mechanisms to translate weather warnings into action at the local level.

In Bhutan, rising temperatures in the southern lowlands are exposing communities and valleys that have traditionally experienced cooler conditions.

The country has already assigned heat-related responsibilities to its health ministry, while a 2022 regulation requires heat protections for workers. Its existing flood and glacial-lake early-warning systems also provide a foundation for developing heat-warning mechanisms.

The assessment recommended bringing these measures together under a single national heat action plan.

Dr Vishwas Chitale, Fellow at CEEW and Chair of the GHHIN South Asia Hub, said extreme heat had become a year-round regional risk.

“The task now is to connect those forecasts to health systems, local budgets and labour rules, so that a warning reliably becomes protection,” he said.

Dr Farzana Misha of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health said heat was one of the region’s most under-recognised health risks, affecting health, work and food security.

She said Bangladesh had begun responding through a national guideline on heat-related illness and heat action plans in Narayanganj, Dhaka, Rajshahi and other urban centres.

Prima Madan, Director of Cooling and Climate Resilience at NRDC, said the response needed stronger implementation, health systems and local financing, while countries should share solutions across the region.

The GHHIN South Asia Hub said it would build a regional network of institutions and training programmes following the Global Heat Forum and turn the assessments into pre- and post-heat-season briefings for governments in the four countries.

The initiative aims to help governments turn heat science and early warnings into coordinated action to protect vulnerable communities across South Asia.