Ahmedabad’s experience of dealing with deadly heatwaves is gaining attention in Europe, with the city’s Heat Action Plan (HAP) set to be presented as a possible model for European cities facing increasingly severe heatwaves.
The Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan, developed after the city experienced a deadly heatwave in 2010, will be showcased from September 3 to 9 at the CLARA Summer School on Climate Change and Health at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague.
The programme will highlight how Ahmedabad built an organised system around early warnings, public communication, coordination between government departments and practical measures to protect people from extreme heat.
From a deadly heatwave to a citywide action plan
Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan was developed after the devastating summer of 2010, when the city recorded more than 1,300 excess deaths attributed to the extreme heat.
The tragedy pushed experts at the Indian Institute of Public Health-Gandhinagar (IIPH-G), along with other stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive system to reduce the health impact of heatwaves.
The plan was launched in 2013 with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and partner organisations.
Since then, it has developed into a structured system combining heat alerts, public messaging and coordinated action. The approach has also been replicated and adapted in other Indian cities.
How Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan works
At the centre of the plan is the City Heat Action Plan, which focuses on reducing illness and deaths through early warnings, advisories and a coordinated response. The system includes several important components:
Heat drivers are mapped: Experts identify factors that increase heat-related risks and design suitable measures.
IMD-linked forecasting: Weather information is used to provide advance heat alerts.
Colour-coded alerts: Yellow, orange and red alerts are connected to specific actions.
AMC-led public communication: Information and warnings are rapidly shared with the public.
Emergency medical response: The plan includes EMS integration, allowing Emergency Medical Response teams to receive early heat alerts and speed up treatment.
Cooling measures: Reflective or heat-reducing measures, including white lime or paint on rooftops, are used to help reduce indoor temperatures.
Public guidance: People are advised to stay hydrated, wear suitable cotton clothing and follow basic precautions during extreme heat.
Outdoor work protocols: Scheduled breaks and avoiding direct exposure to the sun are part of the measures for people working outdoors.
Why Europe is looking at Ahmedabad
The Ahmedabad model is now drawing interest from European cities as heatwaves become a growing concern.
The renewed European interest comes as severe heat events are being reported across the continent. Rising temperatures and record heat levels have raised concerns about heat-related deaths in countries including Germany, France, Spain and the UK.
The Ahmedabad approach is being considered because of its focus on early warnings, coordination, public communication and practical, low-cost measures.
The idea is not simply to copy the Indian system, but to understand which parts can be adapted to European cities facing their own heat-related challenges.
Lessons from Ahmedabad and Rajkot
At the Prague event, Prof Mahaveer Golceha from IIPH-G will participate in discussions on the health 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.”
The presentation will highlight the experiences of cities such as Ahmedabad and Rajkot, particularly their efforts to prioritise heatwaves through efficient early-warning systems, coordination between government departments, large-scale community awareness and community-led initiatives.
The focus will be on lessons that could be useful for European cities trying to reduce illness and deaths caused by extreme heat.
Focus on practical and scalable solutions
Discussions at the programme will also cover several areas related to preparing cities for extreme heat.
These include data-driven decision-making, nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, improved infrastructure for a climate-resilient health system and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Experts will examine which approaches used in India can be considered practical and scalable elsewhere.
According to IIPH-G officials, one of India’s strengths lies in developing low-cost and implementable measures. They also noted that European technology and community-level strategies could complement such approaches and help strengthen responses to extreme heat.
For Ahmedabad, a plan that emerged from a deadly heatwave in 2010 has now become an example of how cities can build systems to prepare for extreme temperatures and protect public health.
Also Read: Ahmedabad Ranked Among World’s Most Heat-Risk Vulnerable Cities: Oxford Study
