New Delhi: With multiple states across the country witnessing rising instances of heat waves due to seasonal changes, the Centre has alerted state bureaucratic heads about potential public health risks and issued an advisory for their management.
In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Advisers to Administrators of all Union Territories (UTs), Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava stated, “With the onset of summer, some parts of the country have already begun experiencing high temperatures. An increase in heat exposure, including extreme conditions, may occur.”
The Health Secretary has also issued an advisory instructing state heads “to manage the health impacts of extreme heat.”
The advisory is based on public health and clinical guidelines from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). In her letter, the senior official has directed Chief Secretaries to disseminate these guidance documents to all districts for effective preparedness of health departments and health facilities to prevent, manage, and monitor the health impacts of extreme heat.
Guidance on developing heatstroke management units and emergency protocols for severe heat-related illnesses has also been provided. The Health Secretary has further directed concerned officials to review health facility preparedness, including ensuring the availability of essential medicines, intravenous fluids, ice packs, ORS, and all necessary equipment for active emergency cooling.
“Health departments of the states/UTs must continue efforts for sensitization and capacity building of personnel and ensure fire NOC compliance of health facilities,” the official letter states.
“Health facilities need to enhance their resilience to heat by ensuring uninterrupted electricity for the continuous operation of cooling appliances and reducing indoor heat through cool/green roofs,” it adds.
In her letter, the top official also shared the seasonal outlook prepared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for “Seasonal Temperatures During the Hot Weather Season (March to May) and Monthly Rainfall and Temperatures for March 2025.”
According to the seasonal outlook, most parts of the country are expected to experience above-normal maximum temperatures between March and May, except for southern Peninsular India and isolated pockets of Northeast India, where normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely.
As per the IMD, a “normal” temperature deviation is considered to be within the range of ±1°C from the average temperature for a specific location and time.
