Joint Funding for Heatwave Mitigation

Why in News?

Recently, National disaster Management Authority (NDMA) indicated to form a joint funding mechanism between Centre & State for Heatwave Mitigation as per recommendations by the 16^th Finance Commission (FC) to classify heatwaves as a national notified disaster.

Proposal Proposals by FC

• Joint funding – Will involve “seed funding” from Centre & States, Backed by local governments, civil society & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Civil Society.
• Resources – Will be pooled from National & State Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF/SDMF) & National and State Disaster Mitigation Funds (NDRF/SDRF).
• District led – Initiative is designed for minimum financial allocations based on population, while cities will have separate considerations.
• Local Leadership - The initiative is designed to be district-led, with minimum financial allocations based on population, while cities will have separate considerations.
• Focus on Mitigation - Moving beyond immediate relief (ex-gratia), the focus is now on long-term cooling solutions like cool roofs, shaded footpaths, and drinking water stations.

The Shift in Disaster Financing

Historically, heatwaves were not part of the national disaster list. The evolution is as follows:

• Pre-2015 - Heatwave management was strictly a State subject. States like Odisha and Rajasthan notified it locally.
• 15th Finance Commission - Declined to include extreme heat in the national list.
• 2024 Decision - The Centre permitted the use of Mitigation Funds (NDMF/SDMF) for extreme heat for the first time.
• 16th Finance Commission (Nov 2025) - Recommended notifying both heatwaves and lightning as national disasters due to their increasing scale and frequency. It proposed a Rs2 lakh crore corpus for state-level funds for 2026–2031.

Heat Action Plans (HAPs)

• Coverage - HAPs currently exist in 23 States, 270 districts, and 64 cities (totaling 304 plans including those under preparation).
• Challenges -The NDMA has flagged issues regarding the "uneven quality" of these plans, noting that some are merely imitations of others rather than being tailored to local climate data.
• Risks - A primary concern remains the potential for mitigation to turn into mere "procurement exercises" (e.g., buying water coolers) without long-term strategic cooling.

For Reference: The Hindu | IAS Parliament