Bangladesh, 3 other South Asian countries launch new initiative to tackle extreme heat

The El Niño phenomenon is strengthening across the Pacific, increasing the risk of another season of extreme heat in South Asia.

Against this backdrop, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have launched a joint initiative to tackle the impacts of extreme heat.

Four new country briefs assessing heatwave conditions, preparedness and gaps in the four countries were released today, Thursday, at the Global Heat Forum, which began in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, says a press release.

The briefs were published under the initiative of the South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN). The assessments were conducted as part of a review of countries’ preparedness and capacity as health risks from extreme heat continue to rise across South Asia. They examine how the countries are responding to extreme heat, preparing in advance and where significant gaps remain.

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi runs the South Asia Hub. Its partners include the Sustainable Futures Collaborative, Natural Resources Defense Council, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The initiative is also aligned with the joint climate and health programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Heatwaves in South Asia have become more intense and longer in recent years. Extreme heat causes more than discomfort; it poses serious health risks, particularly for children, older people, pregnant women and outdoor workers. In addition to heat-related illness and deaths, extreme heat can increase the risks of heart disease, respiratory illnesses and other health problems.

The purpose of the new assessments of the four countries is to identify areas where progress has been made in addressing heat-related health risks and where more coordinated action is needed. The findings could be used in policymaking, strengthening health systems, early warning systems and protecting vulnerable populations.

The Global Heat Forum in Bangkok is discussing the growing risk of extreme heat and its health impacts in South Asia and other regions around the world. Experts have warned that climate change could further increase the risk of heatwaves in the future. As a result, there is growing emphasis on treating heat not simply as a weather event but as a major public health risk.

In Bangladesh, the feels-like temperature, which takes both temperature and humidity into account, has risen by about 4.5°C since 1980. People now spend nearly one-third of the year in dangerously humid heat.

Heat has been recognised as a risk in Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan. The country’s first urban heatwave action plan has been developed for Narayanganj. National guidelines for dealing with heat-related illness and a public awareness campaign called “Beat the Heat” have also been launched.

Despite these initiatives, however, there is a lack of dedicated heatwave action plans at both national and local levels. It is also important to establish a system for monitoring heat-related illness by linking weather forecasts with hospitals and the health system.

These findings and recommendations are included in the first Bangladesh assessment by the South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN). Four separate assessments of heat and health conditions in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan were released today, Thursday, at the Global Heat Forum in Bangkok, Thailand.

This is the first assessment by the GHHIN South Asia Hub of heat and health risks in the four countries.

At the time of the release, it was announced that El Niño is strengthening in the Pacific, which could increase the risk of another season of extreme heat in South Asia. Against this backdrop, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan have begun working together to address the impacts of extreme heat.

The assessment of the four countries says preparations for tackling heat in South Asia have progressed most rapidly in the areas of planning, weather forecasting and early warning. All four countries have developed heatwave action plans and early warning systems in one form or another.

However, measures to translate these plans and warnings into protection on the ground have not advanced at the same pace. Major gaps remain in monitoring heat-related illness, financing local-level initiatives, and integrating heat risks into health, labour and urban planning. While several countries have begun large-scale initiatives, progress is uneven.

Extreme heat was once mainly seen in the plains of South Asia. It is now spreading to the Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan as well.

Farzana Misha of the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health said, “Heat is one of the least recognised health risks in this region. It is less visible than floods or cyclones. But its impacts on health, work and food security are no less serious. In Bangladesh, we have already started taking some initiatives. A national guideline for dealing with heat-related illness and the country’s first urban heatwave action plan in Narayanganj have been developed. Similar initiatives are being undertaken in Dhaka, Rajshahi and other urban centres. Now similar action is needed across South Asia. We need to build health systems and provide the necessary financing so that risks can be identified before the heat arrives and action can be taken before people are affected.”

The Bangladesh assessment recommends developing dedicated heatwave action plans at both national and local levels. It also calls for establishing a system to monitor heat and health by linking the country’s weather forecasts with hospitals.

Among the four countries, India has made the most progress in shifting from reactive relief measures to anticipatory action to reduce heat risks.
District-level research by CEEW found that 57 per cent of India’s districts are at high or very high risk of extreme heat. Nearly three-quarters of the country’s population live in these districts.

More than 250 heatwave action plans are in place at the city and district levels in India. Heatwaves have also been officially recognised as a natural disaster under the country’s disaster risk management financing framework. A national system for monitoring heat-related illness has been established, and more than 18,000 medical officers have been trained.
However, the assessment recommends taking India’s heat action plans beyond the boundaries of disaster management. It calls for dedicated financing and systems to assess health outcomes to be included in every plan.

Nepal, a Himalayan country, has traditionally faced floods, droughts and other water- and weather-related disasters. It is now also facing the risk of extreme heat.

According to data from Nepal’s national meteorological department, temperatures in the country’s southern Terai plains exceeded 40°C for 50 days in 2024.

Nepal has already published its first national heatwave action plan and issues risk-based warnings. However, the country’s health system does not yet routinely record data on heat-related illness.

The assessment recommends making it mandatory for hospitals in the Terai region to record admissions related to extreme heat. It also calls for strengthening the process of ensuring that weather warnings reach local communities and that appropriate action is taken accordingly.

Bhutan’s southern lowlands are becoming warmer. As a result, temperatures are also rising in valleys that were previously cooler. Communities that had never before needed to plan for extreme heat are now at risk.

Bhutan’s national policy assigns responsibility for tackling heat to the Ministry of Health. A 2022 regulation also requires measures to protect workers from heat.

Bhutan has relatively advanced early warning systems for floods and glacial lake outburst disasters. The assessment says these systems could also be expanded to cover heat. It recommends bringing different policies and responsibilities together to develop an integrated national heatwave action plan.

Biswas Chitale, a fellow at CEEW and chair of the GHHIN South Asia Hub, said extreme heat is now a year-round regional risk in South Asia.

However, the region does not have to start from scratch in tackling the risk. Every country is projected to experience worse heat conditions than five years ago.

According to Chitale, the key task now is to link weather forecasts with health systems, local budgets and labour regulations. A warning must be turned into effective protection for people.

Kyeong Ko, director of the Information and Communication Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division at UNESCAP, said heat does not stop at borders. Therefore, responses to it should not be confined within national borders either. Countries can share forecasts, coordinate temperature thresholds for taking action and incorporate heat risks into existing disaster management systems.

Following the Global Heat Forum, the South Asia Hub will develop a regional network and training programme involving various organisations. Situation assessments will also be prepared for the governments of the four countries before and after the heat season. The goal will be to turn scientific information on heat into coordinated action and ensure the protection of the region’s most vulnerable populations.