Govt plans long-term heatwave strategy to protect residents
The strategy includes issuing targeted heat alerts, mapping high-risk areas, and incorporating emergency response plans into the City Development Plan. A key proposal involves strengthening building standards. "New infrastructure will be required to incorporate passive ventilation systems,
cool roof technologies
, and be designed to maximise thermal comfort," said a senior official. The govt has asked local bodies and land-owning agencies like DDA to incorporate the latest technologies in its plan, said a senior official.
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Retrofitting existing structures, especially in heat-prone areas, will also be prioritised. Revised building bye-laws mandating these changes are expected soon. To protect the urban poor, Delhi govt plans to identify areas for shelters and shaded spaces across the city, particularly in slum settlements and densely populated zones. "Providing safe spaces where people can take shelter from the heat is crucial," the official added.
The plan also emphasises incorporating indigenous knowledge systems. "Traditional cultural practices for coping with heat will be documented and included in awareness campaigns to build resilience among residents," the official noted. Outreach programmes will educate the public on the health, livelihood, and productivity risks of extreme heat and ways to mitigate them.
In addition, Delhi govt will conduct research on Delhi's micro-climate patterns and improve urban temperature monitoring. Policy interventions to revive natural ecosystems, such as parks and urban forests, will create cooling zones across the city. "Delhi needs systemic changes backed by research and community participation," the official said.
Gupta has previously stated that temperatures in Delhi have reached up to 50°C, a serious public health threat. "When the heat becomes this intense, our preparations must be equally robust. Heatwaves are no longer just a weather condition, but a deadly crisis," she emphasised. As part of the initiative, 3,000 water coolers will be installed across the city, and cooling shades will be built along footpaths. Govt and private buildings will adopt cool and green roof technologies.
Additionally, over 1.4 million students in more than 5,500 schools will be trained in
heatwave preparedness
.
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The extra cash can also come handy as the threat of flooding increases year on year, not just because of climate change and its impact on rainfall but because years of poor management have begun to compound the problem. Urban flooding is no longer a big city problem; it is a major risk to public infrastructure and business zones in smaller cities and industrial belts, as well. 'There is no doubt that the frequency and impact of floods have increased," Nikhil Kharkar, practice lead for consulting solutions at Marsh Advisory India, an insurance broking and risk management firm, tells Mint in an email. 'More so, areas that were least expected to have water logging now experience considerable inundation. For example, Bharuch, Valsad, Surat, Vadodara, Udaipur and Hyderabad." Reinsurance firm Swiss Re Group estimated in a January 2025 report that India has suffered losses of over $1 billion since 2000 due to extreme flood events, including the floods in Mumbai (2005), Uttarakhand (2013), Jammu & Kashmir (2014), Chennai, (2015), Kerala (2018), and northern India (2023). Crucial infrastructure, including airports, ports, renewable energy plants, and manufacturing facilities, are left vulnerable to severe damage. These events have a long-term economic impact, Marsh Advisory's Khakar says. What does this mean for municipal bodies with special economic zones and industrial areas? A higher risk of flooding means a higher cost of protecting and maintaining critical infrastructure. If the cost of insurance and reinsurance becomes too high to justify factories and energy plants, private companies may reconsider their investment plans. But the bigger risk with flooding is accepting it as business as usual. Hundreds of people die gruesome deaths every year due to rainfall and flooding, fall sick from water-borne diseases or are injured while wading through streets and homes that turn into rivers and pools. Fixing urban local bodies, including municipal corporations, takes time and is complex. But, without fixing the basics—waste management, drain infrastructure, and funding—India risks losing its cities to murky waters.
