This publication highlights not only the incidences and impacts of heat waves in Asia but also all the scientific and governance innovations designed to mitigate their damage. While instances of heat waves are on the rise across the world, Asia in particular seems to be reeling under an intense heat wave.

Increasing temperatures are likely to impact human health. An increase in severe heat wave days and heat mortalities has been observed in India over the past few decades. A report by National Disaster Management Authority states that about 22,562 heat related deaths were reported between the periods 1992 to 2015.

This report evaluates total disaster-related economic losses and fatalities between 1998 and 2017. The report finds that between 1998 and 2017, climate-related and geophysical disasters killed 1.3 million people and left a further 4.4 billion injured, homeless, displaced or in need of emergency assistance.

In India, heat wave conditions are generally experienced during the summer months of April and May, and from time-to-time, deaths due to heat waves have been reported from several parts of the country. Between 2001 and 2012, heat stroke accounted for 4% of all deaths from natural calamities, with a marked rise seen in recent years.