title: Development and implementation of South Asia's first heat-health action plan in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India).
abstract: Recurrent heat waves, already a concern in rapidly growing and urbanizing South Asia, will very likely worsen in a warming world. Coordinated adaptation efforts can reduce heat's adverse health impacts, however. To address this concern in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India), a coalition has been formed to develop an evidence-based heat preparedness plan and early warning system. This paper describes the group and initial steps in the plan's development and implementation. Evidence accumulation included extensive literature review, analysis of local temperature and mortality data, surveys with heat-vulnerable populations, focus groups with health care professionals, and expert consultation. The findings and recommendations were encapsulated in policy briefs for key government agencies, health care professionals, outdoor workers, and slum communities, and synthesized in the heat preparedness plan. A 7-day probabilistic weather forecast was also developed and is used to trigger the plan in advance of dangerous heat waves. The pilot plan was implemented in 2013, and public outreach was done through training workshops, hoardings/billboards, pamphlets, and print advertisements. Evaluation activities and continuous improvement efforts are ongoing, along with plans to explore the program's scalability to other Indian cities, as Ahmedabad is the first South Asian city to address heat-health threats comprehensively.
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. kknowlton@nrdc.org.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knowlton
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Medical Officer of Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380001, India. suhaspkulkarni@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Suhas P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. gsazhar@iiphg.org.
authors.forename: Gulrez Shah
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Azhar
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. dmavalankar@iiphg.org.
authors.forename: Dileep
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mavalankar
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. ajaiswal@nrdc.org.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. mconnolly@nrdc.org.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. amrutasri.nori-sarma@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Amruta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nori-Sarma
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. arajiva@iiphg.org.
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajiva
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. priyadutta@iiphg.org.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. bdeol@nrdc.org.
authors.forename: Bhaskar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deol
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. laurenksanchez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY 10011, USA. radhika.khosla@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Radhika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khosla
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. pjw@eas.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. vt25@mail.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Violeta E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. perry.sheffield@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Perry
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheffield
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India. jhess@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Jeremy J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 380054, India.
mesh_terms: D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005544:Forecasting; D018882:Heat Stress Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D010934:Planning Techniques; D015980:Public Health Practice