ABSTRACT
Climate change is known to have deleterious effects on human health and wellbeing. India with a diversity of agro-climatic systems suffers climate risks like temperature extremes, precipitation extremes, cyclones, windstorms, hails, frost, etc. and other disasters, including secondary ones like forest fires, landslides, pest attack, disease outbreak epidemics, and so on. Social and livelihood marginalization as consequences of climate change are known contributors to people’s vulnerability. Air pollution episodes creating a health emergency and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have added urgent new dimensions to environmental health emergencies.
Public health consequences of disasters are complex and varying. The prevailing health sector including health resources and health system is inadequate and not fully equipped to handle the changing and multiplying risk scenarios. Despite the functioning of various health programs, India still grapples to cope with the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Disaster health consequences are best addressed by enhancing health systems’ resilience through a well-designed systemic process. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) rolled out a new national mission on health in the year 2018 in India.
Under the health mission, a National Health Adaptation Plan for Climate Related Disasters has been developed; this involves a systemic, consultative and science policy integrated process, focusing on disaster-related illnesses. It aims to help to improve the health system’s resilience by strengthening gap areas and giving priority to budget allocation. This model approach will likely help to integrate health dimensions into the development plans and the disaster management plans. This chapter presents a comprehensive account of strategy and process, resources and end result of plan development. Suggestions for mainstreaming the lessons of recent health emergencies together with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, disaster risk reduction and business continuity frameworks are also made.
