New Delhi: At least 84 heatstroke deaths were recorded across India between February and July this year, a new analysis has found.
The report, ‘Struck by Heat: A News Analysis of Heatstroke Deaths in India in 2025′, by non-profit HeatWatch claimed that India’s true heat toll is being masked by diagnostic “blind spots”, weak enforcement of worker protections, and outdated heatwave alerts that fail to reflect the combined impact of temperature and humidity on human health.
In comparison, data obtained by PTI under the Right to Information (RTI) Act showed that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 7,192 suspected cases of heatstroke and only 14 confirmed deaths between March 1 and June 24 this year.
The HeatWatch analysis, based on a systematic review of national and regional media reports in multiple languages, found that Maharashtra reported the highest number of deaths at 17, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Telangana with 15 each.
Gujarat recorded 10 deaths, Assam six, while Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan recorded five deaths each. Odisha reported three deaths, while Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh reported one death each.
The report found that most of the victims were elderly, outdoor workers and daily wage labourers, with incidents ranging from farmers collapsing in their fields to children and teenagers succumbing during school trips or while playing outdoors.
A 13-year-old student in Navi Mumbai, who died on February 26, marked one of the earliest fatalities of the season, underlining how heatwaves are arriving earlier and lasting longer in India.
Andhra Pradesh reported the highest number of illnesses at 700 cases, followed by Odisha (348), Rajasthan (344) and Uttar Pradesh (325).
In total, the HeatWatch dataset captured 2,287 cases of heat-related illness across the country during the period, though it claimed the actual number is likely to be much higher due to “underreporting”.
The findings echo concerns flagged by experts and a PTI investigation in June, which revealed that India’s reporting of heat-related illnesses and deaths is fragmented, with different agencies presenting widely varying figures.
For 2015-2022, the NCDC recorded 3,812 heat-related deaths, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported 8,171, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported 3,436 deaths.
HeatWatch said that despite the new national forensic guidelines allowing autopsies to classify heatstroke as a cause of death even without direct temperature records, doctors rarely apply them.
As a result, many cases are attributed to cardiac arrest, dehydration or stroke, erasing the role of heat.
The report also criticised the IMD’s heatwave warning system for being based almost entirely on air temperature thresholds while excluding the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which measures combined heat and humidity stress.
It cited several instances of fatalities on “non-alert” days, such as workers collapsing in Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra when no official warnings were in place.
“India’s heat crisis is structural, not just seasonal. Early-warning and alerts are limited and offer no real protection to the workers who are collapsing in fields, markets and construction sites without any protection. Our report makes clear that incremental fixes won’t cut it.
“We urgently need robust, hyperlocal monitoring and effective early-warning systems coupled with enforceable worker protections,” Apekshita Varshney, Founder, HeatWatch, and the report co-author, said.
“We are recognising the dangers of rising heat, but recognition alone isn’t enough. What’s missing is a health-centred approach, one that counts every case, prepares hospitals, protects workers and builds cooler cities. These systemic steps are what will truly save lives in a warming climate,” Shivani Das, report author, said.
The organisation called for a national legislation mandating mid-day work bans, shaded rest areas, hydration access and legally enforceable work-rest cycles, in line with countries such as France, Japan, Singapore and the UAE.
It also urged that every case of heatstroke be counted and reported in a centralised, publicly available registry, unlike the restricted-access Integrated Health Information Platform.
Experts, including former World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, have previously warned that India is “most likely undercounting heat-related deaths” and that the official figures represent only the “tip of the iceberg”.
This year’s extreme summer saw the mercury in parts of Rajasthan touching the 48-degree Celsius mark, while even regions historically considered less vulnerable, such as Assam and the Himalayan states, reported fatalities.
The report said that without urgent reforms in heat alert systems, public health preparedness and occupational safety, India’s ability to protect its most vulnerable populations against intensifying heatwaves will remain gravely inadequate.
