New Delhi, India — The unbearable heat of Indian summers has become a silent killer, claiming lives in an alarming and unrecorded manner. On a blistering May afternoon last year in the Ghazipur area of Delhi, a ragpicker succumbed to heat exhaustion. Despite the family’s urgent efforts to rush him to the hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Unfortunately, without official acknowledgment of heat as the cause of death, the family received no compensation, highlighting a troubling gap in the country’s deaths reporting system.
An investigation indicates that a fragmented and outdated system is obscuring the actual number of heat-related fatalities, hindering public awareness and policy action. The lack of precise data impedes the government’s ability to develop targeted responses to protect vulnerable populations from increasingly severe heatwaves.
Across India, many victims are marginalized, undocumented individuals whose deaths frequently vanish from the official records. Currently, at least three different government entities monitor heat-related deaths, presenting conflicting numbers. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), under the Ministry of Health, and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs, are two primary sources, alongside the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Inconsistencies in reporting are evident. Between 2015 and 2022, the NCDC reported 3,812 heat-related deaths through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme. In contrast, the NCRB’s figures claimed 8,171 deaths from heat or sunstroke during the same time. Meanwhile, the IMD recorded 3,436 deaths attributed to heatwaves.
While the NCDC and IMD have shared their statistics for 2023 and 2024, the NCRB still has not released its data for these years. The Health Ministry has gathered records of heat-related illnesses and deaths during the sweltering months, though recent changes aimed at extending the reporting timeline have yet to yield reliable results.
Experts cite these variances in numbers largely stem from the differing methodologies employed by these agencies. A senior police official in Delhi pointed out that NCRB figures often reflect unattended bodies found in public spaces, with autopsies conducted to determine causes of death. Conversely, the NCDC relies on reports of patients either treated in hospitals or those who passed away after seeking medical attention, resulting in significantly different statistics for the same time periods.
A Health Ministry official emphasized that the data from these agencies are “not directly comparable,” and the discrepancies often result from varying reporting sources and methodologies. Many hospitals lack adequate staffing and electronic data entry systems, which hampers accurate record-keeping. This outdated technology exacerbates the issue, leading to significant underreporting.
The need for reforms in the way heat-related deaths are documented has become critical as climate change intensifies these life-threatening conditions. Advocates argue that deaths attributed to heat are often misclassified as heart attacks or other causes, masking the true impact of extreme temperatures.
At a recent public health summit, prominent voices in health policy emphasized the necessity of strengthening death-reporting systems to provide better clarity for decision-makers. With heatwaves growing in severity and frequency, the call for comprehensive measures has never been more urgent.
In light of increasing extreme weather events, experts advocate for a centralized department to streamline the collection and dissemination of mortality data, which would serve as an essential resource for assessing risks and creating actionable intervention strategies. Until such measures are implemented, countless lives lost to heat will remain mere numbers—if they are recorded at all.