India braces for severe summer; Health Ministry issues nationwide heatwave alert

The Union Health Ministry has issued a fresh alert to states and union territories, urging immediate preparedness as India heads into what forecasters are warning could be an exceptionally harsh heatwave season in 2026.

In a communication to state health authorities, the health ministry cited the India Meteorological Department’s updated seasonal outlook, which projects above-normal heatwave days between April and June across large parts of the country.

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“It is highlighted that above-normal heatwave days are expected from April to June 2026 across parts of East, Central, and North-West India and the South-East Peninsula, with many coastal areas of Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh. In addition, as forecasted by IMD, isolated regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, are also likely to be affected,” said the health secretary in an advisory dated April 23.

The health ministry had in March also issued a health advisory, which had already flagged the approaching summer as a cause for concern.\

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The Ministry has directed all states and union territories to take four urgent steps including setting up dedicated Heat Stroke Management Units at every health facility, ensure ambulance services are fully operational and adequately staffed, disseminate early warnings to communities in time for preventive action and report heat stroke cases in real time through the Ministry’s Integrated Health Information Platform, known as IHIP.

The health secretary stressed that timely reporting is critical to tracking the scale of the crisis and mobilising resources where they are needed most.

The Ministry called on state chief secretaries to personally review heat season preparedness and drive implementation on the ground.

“Your personal intervention in reviewing heat season preparedness while ensuring implementation of the aforementioned actions, will be key to safeguarding public health and preventing avoidable heat-related mortality,” the advisory further said.