Quick answers
What are the warning signs of heat stroke?
A very high body temperature; hot, red skin that is often dry, though someone who has been working hard may still be sweating; confusion, slurred speech or fainting; headache, vomiting and a fast heartbeat; and fits or unconsciousness.
What should I do if someone collapses in the heat?
Call 108 or 112 at once. Move the person to shade, loosen their clothes and cool them fast by pouring or sponging cool water over the body while you fan them. Give sips of water or ORS only if they are fully awake and can swallow.
How can I prevent heat stroke in summer?
Drink water regularly, even before you feel thirsty. Keep out of the sun between about noon and 3 pm, wear light, loose cotton clothes, cover your head and carry ORS.
Who is most at risk of heat stroke?
Outdoor workers such as construction workers, farm workers and traffic police, older people, small children, and people with heart, kidney or BP problems.
How can I keep my home cool during a heatwave?
Close curtains, shutters or sunshades on sunny windows during the day and open the windows at night. Stay on a lower floor if you can, and use a fan, damp clothes and cool baths.
How should employers protect outdoor workers in a heatwave?
Give cool drinking water, shade, ORS and longer, more frequent rest breaks. Move heavy work to the cooler morning and evening hours, and tell workers when IMD issues a heatwave alert.
India is getting hotter, and heat is killing more people. Between 2019 and 2024, police records compiled by the NCRB counted 5,544 deaths from heat or sun stroke. Full figures for 2025 are not out yet.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says 2024 was India’s warmest year since 1901, with the average land temperature 0.65°C above the 1991 to 2020 normal. That same year, recorded heat-stroke deaths more than doubled.
Why heat is so dangerous
Floods and cyclones are loud. Heat kills quietly. It does not knock down buildings, but it breaks down the body’s ability to cool itself.
Every summer, people collapse on roads, in fields, on construction sites and at crowded religious gatherings. Many of these deaths are never recorded as heat deaths, because they are written down as “natural causes” or heart failure.
Heat stroke can be prevented. People also survive it, if someone spots the signs early and cools them down fast.
Heat-stroke deaths in India, 2019 to 2025
| Year | Deaths from heat or sun stroke (NCRB) | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,274 | Highest: Bihar (215), Maharashtra (159), Telangana (156) |
| 2020 | 530 | Punjab (110) and Telangana (98) highest |
| 2021 | 374 | Punjab (91) and Bihar (57) highest |
| 2022 | 730 | About 9% of all deaths from forces of nature |
| 2023 | 804 | Up about 10% on 2022 |
| 2024 | 1,832 | More than double 2023; 23.2% of deaths from forces of nature |
| 2025 | Not yet published | NCRB has not released 2025 figures |
Source: NCRB, Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India; 2019 to 2021 as tabled in Parliament; ADSI 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Different agencies count heat deaths differently. The Health Ministry told the Lok Sabha that the National Centre for Disease Control’s heat-illness surveillance recorded 374 heat-stroke deaths and 67,637 suspected cases between 1 March and 27 July 2024. NCRB, which counts police-recorded accidental deaths for the whole year, recorded 1,832. Whenever you quote a figure, say which source it comes from.
Where it hits hardest
- Bihar, Maharashtra and Telangana had the highest recorded heat-death counts in 2019 (215, 159 and 156).
- The plains of north and central India see the longest heatwave spells in May and June.
- Big cities like Delhi suffer from the urban heat island effect: concrete and asphalt hold heat, so nights stay hot and the body never gets a break.
A few more numbers
- Average heat or sun-stroke deaths a year, 2019 to 2024 (NCRB): about 920.
- Most at risk: outdoor workers, the elderly, small children, and people with heart, kidney or BP problems.
- Work lost to heat: the International Labour Organization projects that heat stress could cost about 5% of working hours in southern Asia by 2030, equal to about 43 million full-time jobs.
What is heat stroke?
Heat stroke happens when the body’s temperature rises above about 40°C and it can no longer cool itself. It damages the brain, kidneys and heart, and it can kill quickly if not treated. It is a medical emergency.
Warning signs:
- very high body temperature;
- hot, red skin, often dry, though some people, especially those exerting themselves, may still be sweating;
- confusion, strange behaviour, slurred speech or fainting;
- headache, vomiting and a fast heartbeat;
- fits or unconsciousness.
Heat exhaustion comes first in many cases: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, cramps and nausea. Treat it early, before it turns into heat stroke.
What you can do
- Drink water regularly, even if you are not thirsty, and more if you work outdoors.
- Avoid going out in the sun, especially between noon and 3 pm. Do heavy work in the early morning or evening.
- Wear light, loose cotton clothes and cover your head with a cap, gamchha or umbrella.
- Carry ORS, or drink lassi, nimbu pani or buttermilk to replace salts.
- Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and fizzy drinks in extreme heat; they can make dehydration worse.
- Check on vulnerable neighbours: elderly people living alone, small children and outdoor workers.
- Never leave a child or pet in a parked car.
- Keep your home cool: draw curtains, shutters or a sunshade over sunny windows by day, open the windows at night, and stay on a lower floor if you can. Use a fan, damp clothes and frequent cool baths. Hot, airless rooms under tin or concrete roofs are hardest on elderly and sick people, so check on them in the evening too.
If someone collapses in the heat
- Call 108 or 112 at once.
- Move the person to shade or a cool room.
- Loosen or remove extra clothing.
- Cool them fast: pour or sponge cool water over the body and fan them. Put wet cloths or ice packs on the neck, armpits and groin.
- Give sips of water or ORS only if they are fully awake and can swallow.
- If they become unresponsive and are not breathing normally, start CPR.
What needs to change
- Heat treated as a public health emergency every summer.
- A working Heat Action Plan in every state, district and big city, with early warnings and cooling centres.
- Rest breaks, shade and drinking water for outdoor workers by law, and enforced.
- Public drinking water points in cities and at bus stops.
- Training for doctors and health workers to spot and record heat illness.
References
- National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India, 2019 to 2024
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reply to the Lok Sabha on heat-stroke cases and deaths (NCDC surveillance), 2024
- India Meteorological Department (IMD): 2024 annual climate statement
- International Labour Organization: Working on a warmer planet (2019)
A bottle of water and a shaded corner can save a life. This summer, keep ORS at home, check on the elderly in your lane during the afternoon, and learn the signs of heat stroke.
What needs attention
- Recorded heat-stroke deaths more than doubled in 2024, India's warmest year on record
- NCRB and NCDC count heat deaths differently, and many deaths are never recorded as heat deaths
- Outdoor workers, the elderly, small children and people with chronic illness are most at risk
- Cities stay hot at night, giving the body no chance to recover
- Fast cooling is the most important first aid for heat stroke
- Heat stress also costs working hours and incomes
Controls that reduce risk
- Keep ORS and drinking water at home and at work
- Shift heavy outdoor work to early morning or evening
- Provide shade, water and rest breaks for workers you employ
- Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke
- Check on elderly neighbours who live alone during heatwaves
- Follow IMD heatwave warnings
- Push your city or district for a working Heat Action Plan and cooling centres
- Plant and protect trees in your colony
Common unsafe practices
- Waiting to feel thirsty before drinking water
- Working or travelling in the midday sun
- Ignoring heat exhaustion signs like dizziness and cramps
- Ignoring IMD heatwave warnings
- Leaving elderly relatives alone in hot, airless rooms
- Wrapping a collapsed person in blankets or giving them tea
- Giving water to someone who is confused or unconscious
- Leaving children or pets in parked vehicles
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