India faces nearly 16,000 additional heat deaths over next six months, report warns

India could record close to 16,000 more deaths attributable to extreme heat over the next six months highlighting the growing toll of rising temperatures on human life across the country.

The projection underscores the urgent public health challenge posed by prolonged and intensifying heat events, which have become an increasingly deadly seasonal threat for millions of people, particularly in vulnerable communities with limited access to cooling or shade.

Authorities and health experts have repeatedly called for stronger early-warning systems, expanded public cooling centres and targeted outreach to protect elderly citizens, outdoor workers and low-income populations who face the greatest risk during periods of extreme heat.