Delhi residents submit citizen Heat Registries to the National Human Rights Commission, urging recognition of extreme heat as a human rights crisis and demanding dedicated funding for Heat Action Plans to protect vulnerable communities.

In a landmark citizen-led initiative, residents of Delhi have submitted a comprehensive dossier to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), backed by personal “Heat Registries” that document the profound human and rights impacts of extreme heat. The submission, coordinated under Greenpeace India’s Delhi Rising campaign, calls on the Commission to formally recognise extreme heat as a human rights issue and push for adequate state funding of heat action plans.

The move comes amid India’s intensifying heatwaves, which have pushed temperatures above 45°C in many regions this summer, exacerbating health risks, economic losses, and vulnerabilities for millions, particularly in urban informal sectors.

Voices from the Frontlines: Personal Testimonies and Evidence

Since May 2026, street vendors, gig workers, home-based workers, elderly residents, students, and families from neighbourhoods like Sunder Nagri in North East Delhi, CR Park in South Delhi, Dwarka, and Jamia Nagar have maintained weekly Heat Registries. These handwritten diaries capture lived realities often missing from official statistics: sleepless nights due to unbearable heat, skipped meals because cooking feels impossible, lost wages when outdoor work halts, children struggling with focus in school, and mounting medical and utility bills.

Supporting documents – medical records, electricity bills, and income statements – accompany the registries. Mohit Valecha, National Coordinator of the Indian Hawkers Alliance, highlighted the unique plight of street vendors: “Extreme heat doesn’t only affect the health of informal workers. For street vendors, the most significant loss is their work itself: there is less footfall during extreme-heat days, which leads to a loss of income and livelihood. And there are no social security schemes that can compensate informal workers like street vendors for those losses or protect their livelihood.”

Aakiz Farooq, Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace India, emphasised the broader significance: “These testimonies and the evidence submitted alongside the letter show that extreme heat is not just an environmental issue, it is a human rights issue. Through these Heat Registries, citizens are documenting their lived experiences… We urge the Commission to recognise extreme heat as a human rights issue and ensure that governments adequately fund and implement measures that protect those most at risk.”

The registries involve around 40 individuals and households, transforming affected people into active documenters rather than passive survey subjects. This grassroots approach addresses gaps in official data, revealing the cumulative, compounding effects of heat stress on health, mobility, dignity, and finances.

Legal and Constitutional Foundations for Recognition

The submission invokes key constitutional protections under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty), which has been expansively interpreted to include the right to a healthy environment and dignity. Landmark cases such as M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (2000) and Francis Coralie Mullin v. UT of Delhi underpin these claims. More recently, the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment in M.K. Ranjitsinh & Ors. v. Union of India explicitly recognized a distinct right against the adverse effects of climate change, derived from Articles 21 and 14 (equality), alongside environmental directives in Articles 48A and 51A(g).

The Court observed that “without a clean environment which is stable and unimpacted by the vagaries of climate change, the right to life is not fully realised.” This aligns with international developments: the 2025 advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights affirmed the states’ binding obligations to protect populations from climate impacts as a human rights imperative.

Arpitha Kodiveri, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Vassar College and Climate Law Researcher, noted the evolving global jurisprudence: “Legal systems… are playing catch up when it comes to heatwaves… There is a gap to be filled in India’s legal landscape in terms of understanding heat waves through a rights-based lens as well as declaring heatwaves as a national disaster.”

The NHRC itself issued an advisory on April 28, 2026, urging 21 states and Delhi to take advance action for vulnerable populations against heatwaves, underscoring official acknowledgment of the crisis.

Funding Gaps and the Call for Systemic Change

Despite existing Heat Action Plans across cities and states, implementation remains hampered by inadequate funding. Reports from the Centre for Policy Research (2023) and analyses by Greenpeace India, CBGA, and BARC Trust highlight chronic under-resourcing for measures like cooling shelters, shaded public spaces, adjusted work hours, early warnings, and health preparedness.

The submission specifically references the sixteenth finance commission’s November 2025 recommendation to notify heatwaves as a nationally recognised disaster. This would unlock dedicated funding streams for prevention, preparedness, and relief, addressing the limitations of current ad-hoc responses.

Greenpeace India demands include linking India Meteorological Department (IMD) heatwave warnings to mandatory wage-loss compensation for outdoor and gig workers, converting public parks into heat-resilient spaces with shade and water, and scaling up interventions in vulnerable neighbourhoods.

Broader Context: India’s Heat Crisis in 2026

India’s 2026 summer has been brutal, with prolonged heatwaves claiming lives and disrupting daily life nationwide. Reports indicate uncounted heat-related deaths, including among census workers and voters, alongside widespread impacts on productivity and public health. Climate change has added significantly more extreme heat days globally, with urban heat islands amplifying risks in densely populated cities like Delhi.

Vulnerable groups – informal workers, the elderly, women, children, and low-income communities – bear the brunt disproportionately. Extreme heat exacerbates inequalities, affecting not just physical health but also economic security and social dignity. Studies link rising temperatures to increased mortality, reduced labour productivity, and strained infrastructure.

The Delhi Rising campaign seeks to bridge the disconnect between meteorological data and human experiences, fostering evidence-based advocacy for adaptation and resilience.

Key Demands to the NHRC

The petitioners have requested the Commission to:

(a) Incorporate the Heat Registries and evidence into its records, noting conditions in specified neighbourhoods and among informal worker groups.

(b) Recognise extreme heat impacts as a human rights concern and outline state responsibilities for protection.

(c) Recommend adequate, dedicated funding from the Delhi government, listed heat-vulnerable states (including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and others), and the Union Government for full implementation of Heat Action Plans.

(d) Endorse the sixteenth finance commission’s call to notify heatwaves as a national disaster for sustained funding access.

Submitters have offered to provide further information, additional diaries, and documents as needed.

A Call for Urgent Action

This citizen submission represents a powerful bottom-up push for accountability in the face of escalating climate risks. By framing heat not merely as weather but as a rights violation, Delhi residents are compelling institutions to act with urgency and equity. As temperatures continue to rise, the success of such initiatives could set precedents for climate justice across India and beyond.

Experts and activists hope the NHRC’s response will catalyse stronger policy responses, ensuring that the most affected voices drive solutions to one of the defining challenges of our time.