PARLIAMENT QUESTION: HEATWAVE FORECASTING AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, issues district‑level heat‑wave warnings twice daily, providing impact‑based forecasts and recommended actions as per NDMA guidelines and the heat‑action plan. These warnings are disseminated through email, APIs, mobile apps, social media, websites, print media, mass‑communication systems and CAP‑based mechanisms. IMD has created the Hazard and Vulnerability Atlas of India, which assigns Barmer district a Heatwave Vulnerability Index of 0.54 (high vulnerability). Heat‑wave bulletins are shared with disaster managers, health, labour, railways, transport and forest departments, and, as a pilot, with informal workers via their associations. Since 2016, IMD also releases seasonal, monthly, weekly and twice‑daily outlooks to support planning and response.