Tejal Atul Karad
Heatwaves as an Invisible Urban Disaster
Delhi has been one of the hottest cities in India during the last several years. In 2024 alone, there were days when the capital reached 45°C or more which set off warnings about health problems and increased energy use. Even so, people are not all affected in the same way by this environmental problem. For those living in slums in Delhi, heatwaves mean more than unusual heat—they bring endangerment which can be blamed on both the city’s poor infrastructure and policy problems.
About 20 percent of Delhi’s population lives in informal settlements. Most of these areas are known for large numbers of inhabitants, homes with tin roofs, bad ventilation, not much electricity and few trees. Though they face the greatest risk from climate change, most of these communities are barely involved in the city’s efforts to address these problems. The research examines how Delhi’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) only partly matches the lives of people living in informal neighbourhoods.
Does the Delhi CAP noticeably help residents in informal settlements facing heatwaves and how can it become fairer and more open to all?
Heatwaves and Informality: An Intensified Crisis
The urban heat island effect leads to an increase in temperature in heavily constructed regions and a lack of vegetation. Settlements that are not part of official planning and often built near industrial areas or landfills becomes heat traps. Near Bhalswa, where there is a major landfill, people can’t breathe comfortably during heatwaves as toxic gases mix with the dry air. Those living in Savda Ghevra, an outlying resettlement colony from central Delhi, often have problems with water shortages and long lasting electricity cuts, so they cannot properly cool off during extreme heat.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) considers heatwaves as “natural disasters” within India’s response framework for disasters. Still, the 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Delhi mentions heatwave adaptation very little, usually by referring to green spaces, upgrading local water resources and spreading public knowledge about the issue. Presently, there are no planned approaches to informal settlements and not much research supports building heat resilience programs with the community.
Policy Evaluation: Limitations of the CAP
An essential evaluation of Delhi’s Climate Action Plan identifies three major holes in adaptation planning for informal sectors:
1. Absence of Specific Risk Mapping – Even though there is information about informal settlements in surveys, there is no detailed mapping of areas most at risk at the neighbourhood level using the CAP.
2. Lack of Inclusive Planning – The plan invites community participation, but hardly describes any ways for local residents of informal settlements to be involved in each stage of the process.
3. Marginal Heat-Related Mechanisms – There is information about heatwaves and their significance in the SDGs on health and urban planning, but cooling infrastructure, notifications before heat emergencies and shelters for marginalized people are not given explicit focus.
This is what climate expert David Roberts refers to as the “abstraction trap” in adaptation planning, where bigger and general plans usually miss those at greatest risk.
Field Observations: Bhalswa and Savda Ghevra
To analyze why the policy-practice gap still exists, field visits were carried out at two case sites. Bhalswa: Dealing with Unequal Environmental Challenges and Heat
People in this area share their neighbourhood with a burning landfill. High temperatures combined with dangerous air in summer time cause a rise in respiratory diseases. Those who live there have shared:
➢ There are no programs for cooling centers or planting trees in the area.
➢ Short periods of no electricity supply during heatwaves
➢ Few people knew about the government’s plan to deal with a heatwave.
Members of Safai Sena and Chintan stated that green walls and reflective roofing are rarely adopted on a larger scale since there is not enough coordination and motivation from political groups.
Savda Ghevra: Peripheral Neglect
Savda Ghevra which used to be praised for resettlement, is going through infrastructural problems and policy exhaustion. Being on the outskirts of the city, it can take much longer for emergency services to help—or sometimes never arrives.
In my interviews with women’s groups, I found:
➢ The tankers sometimes show up late and during the hottest part of the day.
➢ During periods of heat, children and the elderly are more likely to fall sick.
➢ Cities do not have government-provided cooling shelters or emergency planning.
Regardless of these difficulties, people there have formed useful habits:
➢ Using jute sacks or hay to insulate tin roofs
➢ Arranging communal shaded areas
➢ Trying to increase the pressure in the community to support having water tanks or fans provided by NGOs
This shows that even when policy doesn’t recognize them, urban poor citizens continue to help their cities resist challenges.
Recommendations: Transitioning from Policy Deficiencies to Engaged Adaptation
Following steps should be taken to ensure Delhi’s heat adaptation strategy is just and effective:
1. Geospatial Heat Risk Assessment – Include the information from NGOs, municipal bodies and participatory mapping to your assessments of climate risks in informal settlements. 2. Community-Driven Adaptation Strategy – Provide both funds and expert advice to local organizations to help them plan ways to respond to heat, like cool roofs, nearby water sources and more shade in public locations.
3. Organise and Expand Cooling Measures – Introduce successful NGO projects (like SEEDS India’s cool roof and Ahmedabad’s heat action plans) to vulnerable parts of Delhi. 4. Revision of Policy Language – Expand the Delhi CAP to help informal settlements cope with disasters and heatwaves by updating buildings, providing emergency aids and making governance more inclusive.
Conclusion
Heatwaves are now a major risk to life and no longer just a problem that appears in certain seasons. For these unplanned settlements in Delhi, there are combined problems with the environment, infrastructure and politics. As the city continues with climate adaptation, including its most vulnerable residents is not just desirable but absolutely necessary.
With a close look at Bhalswa and Savda Ghevra and an examination of strict policies, the research clarifies that reforming climate adaptation must also focus on justice. Apart from being affected by heat, informal communities are sources of strength, should be recognized, supported and represented in plans.
References
• NDMA (2019). National Guidelines for Heatwave Management.
• Roberts, D., & Pelling, M. (2021). Climate Resilient Urban Development: A Global Perspective.
About the Contributor: Tejal Atul Karad is a Postgraduate Student pursuing an MA in Geopolitics and International Relations at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. A Fellow of the Environment Policy and Action Youth Fellowship (EPAYF) Cohort 2.0.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the organisation.
Read more at IMPRI:
Shifting Livelihoods in Rural India: From Fields to Cities
Everyday Sustainabilities: Rural Women and Everyday Environmental Action
Acknowledgement: This article was posted by Riya Rawat, researcher at IMPRI.
