India, March 23 -- The recent World Water Day focussed on water and gender and should lead to a harder question in India's cities: What does climate resilience mean when women in informal settlements still have to search, queue, carry and ration water in extreme heat?

That question is more urgent this year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said India is likely to face a hotter-than-normal summer in 2026, with above-average temperatures and more heatwave days.

India now has Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in many cities. They are meant to reduce deaths during heatwaves. Most focus on early warnings, public advisories and short-term action during peak heat days. But heat is no longer a short-term problem and evidently, these plans have ...