Location

Rajkot, Gujarat State, India

Rajkot is the fourth largest city in the Indian State of Gujarat. Average temperatures in the South Asia region are projected to increase between 1.5°C and 3°C by 2050, relative to 1981-2010. In India, heat waves are becoming more frequent and longer-lasting. In India, heat waves are becoming more frequent and longer-lasting. Rajkot is no exception to this risk, especially during its hot-dry summer season.

 

Issue

Heat Stress as a Silent Killer

In India, 10,104 deaths due to heat stroke were recorded between 2010 and 2022. The frequency of heat waves in Rajkot increased substantially in recent years. Apart from heat-related deaths, heat can have a variety of other negative effects such as illness, work absenteeism, and loss or reduction in labour productivity. With climate change expected to result in higher temperatures and more intense and frequent heat waves, there is a need to strengthen measures against heat stroke. It should also be noted that the more vulnerable segments of society, such as the poor, are more strongly exposed to these heat waves and heat exhaustion.

 

Solution / lesson learned

Climate Adaptive Heat Action Plan in Rajkot

Rajkot has developed a Climate Adaptive Heat Action Plan. The plan attempts to visualize the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of the urban poor at the local level and to identify where heat stroke prevention measures are needed. In the past, regional data on temperature change, heat waves, and heat stroke were not well collected, but by surveying and organizing the necessary data to prepare this plan, it was possible to organize the evidence according to regional conditions. The visualization of vulnerability and needs through these efforts at the local level is believed to have had the effect of encouraging local governments to take appropriate measures.