Data on daily weather variables were collected from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). (Express Photo)

Five urban areas that are projected to experience the highest increases in heat-related mortality after accounting for the population increase are Mumbai (15,300 deaths), Delhi (15,200 deaths), Ahmedabad (17,600 deaths), Bangalore (14,900 deaths) and Kolkata (19,400 deaths), says a study by the IIM Ahmedabad.

“India and other developing countries are at higher risk due to high population and low preparedness. Our understanding of changes in heat waves and its implications on human mortality in the projected future climate in urban India is largely limited. To address this gap, we provide a comprehensive assessment of mortality based on 52 urban areas (population greater than 1 million) located in the diverse climactic regimes across India, using downscaled and bias corrected temperature projections,” says the paper titled ‘Predicted Increases In Heat Related Mortality Under Climate Change In Urban India’.

“This is the first attempt to show that urban India is projected to experience high mortality from the future warming. Our findings underscore the need for Indian policymakers to anticipate, plan and respond to the challenge of climate change,” it adds.