Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan: South Asia`s First Climate Adaptation

Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan:
South Asia’s First Climate Adaptation and
Early Warning System for Extreme Heat
Anjali Jaiswal, NRDC
Overview & Lessons
Ahmedabad’s 2013 Heat Action
Plan was the first
comprehensive early warning
system and
preparedness plan for extreme heat
events in
South Asia
Key Strategies
To achieve its overall goal of reducing heat-related health impacts and saving lives in the face of
rising temperatures, the Plan primarily aims to implement three key strategies:
Build public awareness about the health risks of heat waves through community outreach;
Initiate an early warning system with a 7-day forecast that provides advance notice to the
public about predicted high temperatures and impending heat waves; and
Increase capacity among Ahmedabad’s health care professionals
for treating people with heat-related illnesses.
http://www.egovamc.com/downloads/healthcare/healthpdf/heat_action_plan.pdf
Heat Action Plan in ACTION
Scientific
Foundation
Heat Health –2013 News
March 2011: Indo-US scientific workshop 40 experts discuss heatadaptation strategies
Heat Health Collaboration:
Scientific Research to Support Policy
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PHFI, IIPH, NRDC partnerships.
MoUs with Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation & Gujarat
govt.
Partnerships increase with
CDKN: Emory University, Georgia
Tech, Mt. Sinai Medical School.
Examined Plans from Around
the World.
March 2011: Indo-US scientific workshop 40 experts discuss heatadaptation strategies
March 2012:
Fact sheet and report released
&disseminated
Policy Papers:
Issue Briefs
Available online from: http://www.nrdc.org/international/india/extreme-heatpreparedness/
Recommendations for
Vulnerable Groups and
Primary Actors
• Municipal Government
• Medical Providers
• Workers in High-Risk
Occupations – Gender
Dimension
• Slum Communities
Blog Posts & Media Articles
Partnership with Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC)
“Our Heat Action Plan provides the roadmap we need to save lives when the
next dangerous heat wave hits.”
~ Former AMC Commissioner Shri Guruprasad Mohapatra
•This HAP makes AMC the first local government in south Asia to launch a
dedicated action plan tackling heat wave adaptation.
•The success of this plan can be attributed to the strong partnership and
communication between the various institutions and the AMC.
•The HAP offers a replicable model of practical interventions that can be
implemented immediately to protect public health in other regions suffering
from extreme heat.
Heat Action Plan in ACTION
•AMC created formal communication channels to more efficiently
communicate and respond during extreme heat events
•AMC appointed a nodal officer who issues advance warnings and coordinates the Plan’s activities to
improve communication within government and with the public ahead of extreme heat events
•Capacity building and trainings for health care professionals to improve medical officers’ overall
ability to recognize and respond to heat-related illnesses
•Awareness-raising trainings and activities to improve worker safety protocols during heat waves
•Community outreach and education through trainings and communication materials developed for
health centers and schools to increase resilience among vulnerable populations
5 Key DraftFindings: Heat Action Plan
1. Overall, Ahmedabad is much more prepared for heat waves than it was in 2010.
2. Successfully implemented and administered by the AMC nodal agency in 2013 and 2014.
◦ Increased community awareness of heat alerts and how to protect oneself
◦ Stakeholders: HAP “exceeded expectations”
3. Fewer city-reported deaths during hottest months since the Heat Action Plan was launched.
4. Accurate temperature forecasts and heat alerts.
◦ Early warning system provides more time to prepare before heat waves hit
5. Strong potential to increase effectiveness and reach more vulnerable populations.
◦ Continued outreach is needed to reach broader range of vulnerable populations in the community
◦ HAP can protect health and save lives as temperatures continue to rise to dangerous levels
Looking Ahead to 2015 – Scaling
Scale Heat Action Plan pilot to other Indian
cities in need of policy action on heat waves
and make heat wave mitigation part of the
national dialogue on climate change.
Gujarat state-level activities and national
level disaster prepardness.
Thank You
More information: CDKN Inside Story:
http://cdkn.org/resource/addressing-heat-related-risks-india/