The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) organised a press briefing and webinar titled, “Why Heat Action Plans Failed to Save Lives? A Case Study of Delhi.”

iFOREST released its study assessing nine city and five district Heat Action Plans (HAPs), determining whether the current framework is sufficient for adapting to and mitigating heat risk. It also assessed the implementation of the action plans in dealing with this year’s unprecedented heat crisis, with a special focus on Delhi which experienced a record heatwave season.

The event provided insights from this comprehensive assessment, identified major gaps in the current framework, made key recommendations, and introduced a new Heat and Cooling Action Plan (HCAP) framework to solve the dual challenges of extreme temperatures and rising cooling demand in Indian cities.