Heatwaves and Lightning Recognized as National Disasters in India

The Indian government has taken a significant step in acknowledging the severity of heatwaves and lightning as national disasters. According to Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, heatwaves and lightning have been officially recognized as natural calamities eligible for relief under the State and National Disaster Response Funds.

This decision follows the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, which suggested including heatwaves and lightning in the list of notified disasters due to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events arising from climate change.

The government has also released data on heatstroke cases since March 1, 2026. A total of 4,853 cases have been reported from 51,000 National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance reporting units. The states with the highest number of cases are Telangana (915), West Bengal (733), Chhattisgarh (660), and Andhra Pradesh (540). Unfortunately, only 20 deaths were recorded over the same period, with the highest number - 11 deaths - reported from Maharashtra.

The SDRF and NDRF funds can be used for response, relief, recovery, and reconstruction purposes linked to the notified natural disasters. However, long-term preparedness and capacity building activities will have to be paid for from state and national disaster mitigation funds.

Experts have long called for the inclusion of heatwaves in the list of notified disasters so relief is systematically provided to vulnerable and exposed populations. Before the nationwide notification, only a handful of states had notified heatwaves as disasters within their own jurisdictions, such as Haryana, Odisha, Kerala, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

Lightning, on the other hand, is responsible for the largest number of deaths due to any disaster reported in India. Deaths due to lightning have consistently increased since 1975, data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows.

The central government has also notified other natural calamities, including cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanches, cloudburst, pest attack, and frost and cold waves.

## Heatstroke Cases by State

| State | Number of Cases | | --- | --- | | Telangana | 915 | | West Bengal | 733 | | Chhattisgarh | 660 | | Andhra Pradesh | 540 | | Maharashtra | | | Total | 4,853 |

## Experts' Call for Inclusion of Heatwaves

Experts have been advocating for the inclusion of heatwaves in the list of notified disasters for a long time. They believe that systematically providing relief to vulnerable and exposed populations will help mitigate the impact of heatwaves.

## Lightning-Related Deaths

Lightning is responsible for the largest number of deaths due to any disaster reported in India. Deaths due to lightning have consistently increased since 1975, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau.