Climate change heightens India's risk of waterborne and vector-borne disease outbreaks
Rising heatwaves, erratic rains and floods are reshaping disease patterns across India, exposing weaknesses in infrastructure and surveillance.
A new assessment highlights how heatwaves, droughts and intense rainfall are altering the ecology of infectious diseases in India, making outbreaks more likely in new locations and seasons. Floodwaters overwhelm sewage, mixing waste with drinking supplies and fostering bacterial diarrhoeal illnesses, while flash floods displace rodents that spread leptospirosis. Warmer temperatures also extend the breeding season of mosquitoes, pushing malaria, dengue and Zika into higher elevations and previously cooler regions.
Poorly designed stormwater drains and century-old underground pipes struggle to cope with rainfall exceeding historic design standards, worsening contamination risks. Health officials stress that integrating climate data with disease surveillance is essential to shift from reactive responses to preventive action.
Why it matters
Increasing climate extremes could trigger more frequent and widespread disease outbreaks, straining India's public health system.
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