3 min readPuneMay 3, 2025 02:03 PM IST
First published on: May 3, 2025 at 02:03 PM IST
A new study in the Vidarbha region has flagged concern over the underreported extreme indoor heat stress in the rural areas of Maharashtra, as the country continues to grapple with record-breaking heatwaves.
The study was conducted in the Wardha district, which is designated as a heat-priority district under Maharashtra’s Heat Action Plan framework.
It stated tin roofs, used in 45 per cent of surveyed homes, were associated with the highest indoor heat levels and that only 2.1 per cent of houses used straw roofs, which are considered more heat-resilient.
Conducted across five villages, the study monitored indoor temperatures during the summer months in 2022 and surveyed over 2,600 residents across 700 homes to assess heat-related symptoms and coping mechanisms.
The results of the study, supported by Watershed Organisation Trust’s (WOTR) Centre for Resilience Studies in Pune, were published in the Journal of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate.
The findings include that indoor temperatures in tin-roof houses peaked at 37–38°C in June, consistently higher than in houses with tile or cement slab roofs.
Over 82 per cent of respondents self-reported at least one heat-related symptom (HRS), including fatigue (22 per cent), heavy sweating (20 per cent), and intense thirst (16 per cent).
Severe symptoms like fainting, hallucinations, and paranoid feelings were also reported.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that heat exposure will cause 38,000 and more than one lakh additional deaths per year during the 2030s and 2050s respectively and hence extreme temperatures or heat waves are considered a `silent killer’.
According to Premsagar Tasgaonkar, research associate at Social Science and Climate Change Adaptation at WOTR, the findings point to alarmingly high indoor temperatures in tin-roofed houses, resulting in significant health symptoms among residents and a lack of targeted rural interventions in existing Heat Action Plans (HAPs).
“There is an urgent need to enhance and expand existing platforms for disseminating extreme temperature alerts and public health advisories. Integrating indigenous knowledge and practices in heat action plans along with the expertise of health professionals can contribute to mitigating adverse health and livelihood impacts of heat stress in rural areas,” Tasgaonkar told The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, the need for necessary changes in disaster planning and recovery services has also found an echo in a new Lancet study that draws on data from 2009-2019.
It looked at more than 1,500 people exposed to at least one disaster, such as floods, fires, or cyclones, and their mental health outcomes were compared to 3,880 Australians with similar sociodemographic profiles who did not experience disasters during the same period.
Similarly, the Wardha study has added to the body of literature documenting the lived experience of rural communities facing climate extremes, providing data that can inform both local adaptation and national-level planning.
It’s not just the temperature per se that we have to worry about. It’s also the duration of high temperatures and the lack of night-time cooling down 
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