Rising heat is affecting the health and education of children across India, a study has found.
The study, conducted on more than 3,000 from 27 states and union territories during the ongoing summer by the Indian non-profit organisation CRY – Child Rights and You, found that among the children observed nearly 63% experienced dehydration, 44% felt extreme tiredness, 39% experienced dizziness and 41% had difficulty in sleeping due to heat exposure. The Plurals has a copy of the report.
In some states, particularly West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, a very large section of children are being affected by the different symptoms of heat, says the report, Feeling the Heat: Children’s Voices on Heat, Well-Being and Learning in India. It was based on a rapid survey.
Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh students most affected
Children in Uttar Pradesh — 75% — seemed to have been affected most by dehydration due to heat, whereas Andhra Pradesh reported the highest incidence of children experiencing “extreme tiredness” at 52%, followed by Delhi at 49%.
Dizziness among children due to heat was most reported by Andhra Pradesh, with 66% children experiencing it. Sleeplessness due to heat was reported most from Uttar Pradesh, where 45% children reported it, followed by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, 42% children reporting it in both states.
“Definitely children are suffering much more than before due to exposure to this acute and sweltering heat. Tiredness is the most common and tell-tale symptom which we find, though other heat-related symptoms are also being reported,” said Apurba Ghosh, a leading paediatric physician from Institute of Child Health, Kolkata, to The Plurals.
70% missed school
The impact on children’s health is seriously affecting their education, including their school-going habits.
Almost 70% children said they had missed school or routine activities due to excruciating heat.
“Eighty-eight per cent felt this year’s summer was hotter than previous years, nearly 68% reported missing school or routine activities because of heat-related distress, while 76% said the heat negatively affected their ability to focus on studies,” reads the report.
“The trend is likely to strengthen as heat is expected to rise further next summer with active El Niño
in circulation and the warmest year ever predicted by the World Meteorological Organisation,” an expert said on Sunday.
“The most valuable aspect of this rapid assessment is that it places children’s voices at the centre of the conversation on climate change. While temperature records tell us how hot it is becoming, children tell us how that heat impacts their lives – how it affects their learning, health, and overall well-being,” said Puja Marwaha, chief executive officer of CRY, urging policymakers to consider the findings while preparing heat action plans and climate adaptation strategies.
Bengal, Andhra and UP lead heat impact
“West Bengal, one of the major states in the survey, reported a higher statistic compared to the national average with nearly 72% of sampled children reporting missing school due to extreme heat. Bengal was just behind Andhra Pradesh, which reported over 88% children missing school,” said Anupama Muhuri, general manager, volunteer engagement at CRY.
In West Bengal about 65% children reported that this year’s heat was “much higher” than last year, while more than 53% stated that “school hours are the hardest part of the day”. In both cases, Bengal has reported the highest percentages among all the states considered.`
The new BJP government’s school education minister in Bengal acknowledged the problem. “In this age of climate change, heat is a major problem. It has been decided primarily that we will organise fans in all the state-run schools—around 81,000—and moreover we are also planning to explore what needs to be done in the long run to counter the problem,” said minister Dipak Barman.
Children from poorer homes affected most
The report states: “Children from economically vulnerable households were disproportionately affected, with 71% of those from daily-wage or manual labourer families reporting severe heat-related distress, compared with 46% from other households.”
India experienced an exceptionally severe, early heat wave in 2026, with temperatures in the northern and central parts of the country often soaring between 45° Celsius and 48° Celsius. Most of the world’s 50 hottest cities were recorded to be located within India. Schools in several parts of India had revised timings and cut down outdoor activities and some had to temporarily suspend classes.
Bengal also experienced prolonged periods of severe hot and humid weather with extreme humidity levels pushing up the “felt” heat index to a staggering 51° Celsius, when the actual maximum temperatures were in the range between 34° Celsius and 38° Celsius.
“Growing evidence from India and across the world suggests that extreme heat affects children’s physical health, cognitive functioning, learning outcomes, emotional well-being and school participation,” the report reminds.