HAP
It was the 1,300-plus all-cause excess deaths in Ahmedabad during the 2010 summer that pushed experts at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar (IIPH-G), along with other stakeholders, to create South Asia’s first comprehensive HAP. Launched in 2013 with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and partner organisations, the programme introduced a structured system of heat alerts and public messaging that has since been replicated and adapted in other Indian cities. The renewed interest from Europe comes after this year’s severe heat waves across the continent. As temperatures rose to record levels, reports suggested thousands of excess deaths in Germany, France, Spain and the UK, prompting policymakers and public health institutions to look beyond traditional responses.
Prof Mahaveer Golechha from IIPH-G will participate in the Prague event, focusing on the cascading impacts of extreme heat. He will speak on ‘India’s Heat Action Plan: A Successful Public Health Policy for Extreme Heat in the Global South’.