India: Heat and sickness march together as climate shifts

Indians are no strangers to scorching summers, but this year's hottest months — from April to June — felt unbearably hot.

The country faced its worst heat wave in over a decade, with hundreds dying and thousands others having their health severely impacted by extreme weather conditions. Temperatures shot past 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in New Delhi and the northern states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 

Then came the monsoon season, and the heat broke. This month, however, torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in India's north and northeast, killing scores of people and affecting hundreds of thousands. And both heat and flooding are exacerbating an even deadlier problem — the spread of disease.

'Beyond human tolerance'

In India, experts say, climate change is boosting the spread of malaria, dengue, yellow fever, cholera and chikungunya, as well as chronic diseases, particularly among the millions of people who already live with poor sanitation, pollution, malnutrition and a shortage of drinking water.

In India's urban centers, "temperatures are rising beyond human tolerance, humidity is increasing, and so is the nighttime heat," Sunita Narain, head of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organization, told DW.

Recent studies have shown that temperatures rising just a few degrees above our body heat levels have an array of harmful effects on mental and physical capabilities. For example, women working in heat-sensitive jobs such as agriculture or construction are at risk for pregnancy-related complications.

Narain warns that cholera, a disease thought to be virtually eradicated, was now "back again with a vengeance." At the same time, she says there is more to the problem than rising temperatures.

"It is not climate change that is bringing cholera. The fact is, it is the mismanagement of the environment," Narain said.

Heat deaths hiding behind other causes

Experts warn that heat waves may be deadlier than we realize, as many heat deaths are attributed on the death certificate to other factors.

"Most people dying during heat waves are not recorded as connected to the heat. There needs to be a proper formulation of heat action plans for cities and towns," Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health, told DW.

"The government needs to implement long-term strategies to minimize vulnerability and inequalities across communities especially when heat waves are getting deadlier with every passing year," he added.

A rise in diseases

Climate-sensitive diseases are rising in India, with some of them showing a clear link to the monsoon rainfall and heat. The government is also aware of the link between mortality and heat, and has listed detailed objectives to build up its capacities and prepare India's medical system to mitigate risks.

However, experts trying to plan and ameliorate these issues often face a fundamental problem — a lack of data.

"This is the first hurdle that we need to work on if we are to save lives," climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told DW.

"Most of the data is not available. Some cities and districts have annual or monthly aggregates, and for a short time, which are insufficient. Hence, it is only possible for us to prepare early warning systems that can inform and save lives and livelihoods if data is available. Basically, the health departments do not share the data that they have" adds Koll.

Agriculture to focus on 'resilient' crops

Children and the poorest segments of India are believed to be bearing the brunt of health risks associated with changing climate.

A recent study showcased by Indian officials explored the association between climate parameters and infectious diseases in a three-year study involving 461 children under 16 in the northern city of Varanasi. The researchers established that climate factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, and wind speed were significantly associated with infectious diseases like gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, vector-borne diseases and skin diseases in children.

Chandra Bhushan, head of the Delhi-based International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology, told DW that building resilience in health infrastructure is crucial to deal with climate extremes.

This year, for instance, the Delhi government asked hospitals to initiate a heat-relief action plan and ensure preparedness to deal with Heat Related Incidents (HRIs). In May, there was an increase of between 10% and 15% of heat-related patients coming into outpatient departments and about 10% into emergency departments.

"In Delhi, hospitals were asked to quickly set up new cooling wards to deal with patients with heat-related illnesses. Many other cities faced similar challenges," said Bhushan.

According to the veteran activist, the impact on nutrition and health of the climate crisis is also now being studied. This is also expected to impact India's agriculture. 

"Thus, there is now a greater focus on climate-resilient crops, and in the latest budget the government has announced to release over 100 new climate-resilient crops."

With climate change taking a heavy toll on people's health, the researcher says, India will have to "adapt and invest" to boost the reslience of its health infrastructure.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic