Hear Action Plan Ahmedabad

Increasing temperature is one of the effects of global climate change that threatens the livelihood in Ahmedabad, India. Extreme temperature put the citizen to risk of heat wave and numerous heat-related illnesses. With heat as one of disaster that significantly affect the quality of life, Ahmedabad implemented “Heat Action Plan” in 2015, that include mitigation and early warning system to extreme heat events.  Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan relies on four key strategies to cope with extreme temperature in the city:

1. Building awareness and community outreach to communicate about heat wave preparedness and management
2. Fostering inter-agency coordination to develop early warning system that alert residents in the events of extreme heat or heat wave occurrence
3. Capacity building of healthcare professional to recognise and respond to heat related illnesses
4. Reducing heat exposure and promoting adaptive measure through various programs and city planning intervention

The Heat Action Plan has been adapted to more than 30 Indian Cities and successfully engage with various agency that improve the program’s effectiveness and efficiency in coping with extreme heat events. Partnering with India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Indian Meteorological Department Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India, Natural Resources Defense Council, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (USA) and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta (USA); India continuously refined each cities’ Heat Action Plan to better protect the vulnerable groups from heat-related disaster. 

Reference: 

World Economic Forum. (2020). Smart at Scale: Cities to Watch 25 Case Studies Community Paper.