The State government of Tamilnadu has declared heatwave as a disaster.
The States including Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have already declared heat waves as a state-specific disaster.
The States are not eligible to get financial assistance from the Union government under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 since heatwaves are not currently classified as a national disaster in India.
With the declaration, families of heat wave victims would get Rs 4 lakh relief.
The government will use the State Disaster Response Fund to support these efforts.
Tamil Nadu has a long coastline where the humidity goes up during the summer months.
Cities like Madurai, Tiruchy, Vellore, Namakkal, Dindigul and Krishnagiri have barren rocky hillocks which absorb and reflect heat even at nights.
In April and May 2024, Erode and Karur recorded a temperature of above 40-degree Celsius on 31 and 26 days respectively.
Vellore and Tirupattur recorded high temperatures on 23 and 21 days each.