As per reports, the southern state will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of a victim who died due to excessive heat. However, appropriate authorities would have to first certify that it was a heat-related death.

The move sets an important precedence, especially when we look at it from the perspective of loss and damage — a financial mechanism to address the unavoidable and irreversible impacts of a climate emergency.

While the move by Tamil Nadu is encouraging, it is still limited. Heatwave was notified as a ‘state-specific disaster’, and doesn’t come under the list of nationally notified disasters. This detail makes a whole lot of difference. But first, what exactly are heatwaves?

What Are Heatwaves?

A heatwave is defined as a period of unusually high temperatures that exceed the usually expected temperature of a specific region. 

The classification of heatwaves differs from area to area. For lowland areas (plains), a heatwave is notified if the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or higher; while for hilly regions, it is notified when temperatures reach at least 30 degrees Celsius or higher.

Heatwave is a testament to how climate change is impacting the world and the livelihoods of people, day in and day out. For example, heatwaves in India this year led to 37 cities recording temperatures of over 45 degrees Celcius. 

The most impacted were the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh. Western states like Maharashtra and Gujarat were also among the most impacted due to heatwaves. 

Difference Between National Disasters And State-Specific Disasters?

India has 12 notified disasters — cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves. 

In case a state faces any of the above, that state can access funds from both the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and, if needed, the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), to provide immediate relief to the victims. 

Although SDRF is the primary resource for state-level disaster response, the NDRF provides additional support for severe cases that are beyond the state’s capacity to manage.

However, when a state notifies of a state-specific disaster, the accessibility of a fund is only limited to the SDRF. This is because it is the state that has recognised the disaster in its own capacity.

This limits the utilisation of funds and can hamper immediate relief provided to the victims and their families. 

With Tamil Nadu listing heatwave as a state-specific disaster, it will only be able to draw the resources from the SDRF, and won’t be eligible to utilise financial assistance from the NDRF.

Why Is Heatwave Not A Nationally Notified Disaster?

The 15th Finance Commission, a constitutional body that recommends how tax revenues are distributed between the Union government and the states, examined the requests by various states to broaden the list of notified disasters. However, the commission didn’t find merit in including heatwave as a notified disaster. 

At the time, Jitendra Singh, Minister of Earth Sciences, stated in the Lok Sabha, “The Commission in para 8.143 of its report had observed that the list of notified disasters eligible for funding from State Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (SDRMF) and National Disaster Response Mitigation Fund (NDRMF) covers the needs of the state to a large extent and thus did not find much merit in the request to expand its scope." 

Should Heatwave Be Added To The Notified Disaster List?

For quite some time now, the onset of summer has become synonymous with heatwaves across the country. As extraordinary weather events have become more frequent, it has become a concern or rather a burden on public health, livelihood and the economy. The mortalities caused due to these heatwaves are all the more distressing. 

To put things in context, India experienced its second-hottest quarter since 1970 between June and August this year, with over one-third of the population facing at least seven days of dangerous heat, according to a report by Climate Central.

The advent of heatwaves has even led states to devise Heat Action Plans (HAPs) to protect the people and their livelihoods. 

These plans help communities prepare for extreme heat and reduce its harmful effects. They include steps for getting ready, responding to disasters, and taking action during heat waves.

The Secretariat, in an earlier story, had shed light on how heat action plans have failed to support informal workers. 

Time and again, environmental activists and climate experts have demanded heatwaves to be included in the list of notified disasters. 

Vulnerable communities are more impacted by heat waves as they are usually at the forefront, and, given their lack of resources, face the brunt.

People on the frontline are typically forced to endure through the heat to make ends meet. However, the effect of extreme heat conditions ranges from exhaustion to strokes, to even death.

In addition to health impacts, heat waves also have economic consequences.

Is Classifying Heatwave As Disaster The Answer?

Experts have underscored the need to classify heatwaves as a notified disaster as they affect not only individuals but also livelihoods. The Secretariat had earlier highlighted the issue of the impact of heatwaves on the gig economy. 

There is also another question at play — is healthcare adept enough to transparently identify and report heatwave-related deaths?

For example, if a doctor fails to identify heat-related deaths, the kin of the victim won’t be eligible for any financial compensation. Taking Tamil Nadu’s example, reports say that the ex-gratia will only be given to families of the victims once the appropriate authority certifies the death.

This sparks the worry of whether India’s healthcare is proficient enough to identify heat-related deaths. 

The official toll of heat deaths in India till June this year was 143, according to the Health Ministry. However, a report by non-profit HeatWatch shed light on the discrepancy in reporting heat-related deaths. It highlighted a gap between official government death counts and the deaths identified through media reports. 

The report pinned the gaps in the death toll count on issues such as inefficient data collection methods, unawareness among healthcare professionals, as well as insufficient implementation of government guidelines.

With all this at play, just notifying heatwave as a disaster won’t do. The apparatus of data collection to reporting mechanisms needs to evolve in tandem. 

In all, while Tamil Nadu’s move to declare heatwave as a state-specific disaster is encouraging, there is much more to do.