India needs strong data to address climate-health risks

India is witnessing an early heatwave this year, with west-coast temperatures soaring.

- SALONI ATAL & SRIDHAR GANAPATHY

This is being attributed to a rain-deficient winter season, among other reasons. Climate change is no longer just an environmental concern—it is impacting public health in significant ways. Rising temperatures and air pollution are contributing to the spread of vector-borne diseases, heat-related illnesses and respiratory conditions. The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths annually on account of malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.

Healthcare systems in India are already grappling with increasing costs of care and insufficient state funding. As the climate crisis intensifies, they will face mounting challenges, including an increased burden of climate-sensitive diseases, heightened demand for emergency and preventive care, and a need for resilient healthcare infrastructure. Addressing the health risks posed by climate change will require stronger systems to capture climate-health data.

Strengthening climate resilience in the health system requires mechanisms to track climate-related changes using multi-sectoral data. However, administrative datasets on climate and health are fragmented across agencies and government levels, with frequently incompatible standards and formats a problem. For instance, temperature data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is not easy to integrate with health data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) or state-level health departments. These silos make it difficult to identify critical linkages.