Abhiyant Tiwari is the lead climate resilience and health consultant at NRDC India. His interest includes environmental, climate, and disaster risks to public health, and he works to advance evidence-based adaptation and mitigation policies and actions in these areas. He has extensive experience in working with academia, governments, and non-profits on public health research, program and policy development, management, and evaluation. Right from the development and implementation of the first Heat Action Plan (HAP) of South Asia in the city of Ahmedabad in 2013, as a public health researcher and practitioner at the Public Health Foundation of India, Abhiyant has worked with knowledge partners like Natural Resources Defense Council and policy partners like national and sub-national governments on developing, implementing, and scaling heatwave health adaptation plans in South Asia region.
In 2019, he led a preliminary study for the National Disaster Management Authority of India to estimate local temperature thresholds for heatwave warning systems in more than 100 cities in India. Abhiyant has also played a pivotal role in developing the pioneering Ahmedabad AIR (Air Information & Response) Plan for air pollution health risk communication in Indian cities. During the challenging times of the COVID-19 Pandemic, in his role as Assistant Professor at Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management, Gandhinagar, Abhiyant conceptualized, developed, and implemented a Mobile App-based technological solution for effective and real-time surveillance of COVID-19 cases in several districts of Gujarat. He is a member of the National Disaster Management Authority of India’s technical experts’ group that develops national guidelines for heatwave adaptation plans and a member of the Technical Expert Group on Heat-Related Illnesses constituted by the National Centre for Disease Control, Government of India.
He is also a member of the Management Committee of Global Heat Health Information Network: a WHO-WMO Joint Initiative, Regional Technical Working Group for Safe and Disaster Resilient Hospitals in PEER - South Asia, Indian Meteorological Society, and a fellow of LEAD India, and Climate Reality. He is trained as a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Environmental Health Sciences from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Related Publications
Ahmedabad Unveils Groundbreaking Protections Against Deadly Air Pollution
May 12, 2017
AHMEDABAD, INDIA – Indian government officials and partners today unveiled the first-of-its-kind comprehensive health-based plan to protect citizens from deadly air pollution, which is being established in Ahmedabad, one of the most polluted cities in South Asia.
Air Pollution & Heat Impacts Study during India’s Epic Heatwave
May 24, 2016
Odds are that 2016 is already set to be yet another “hottest year on record”. This week Ahmedabad, in Western India, broke a hundred year record with reported maximum temperatures of 46.9°C (116.4°F). The United States White House has designated this week, as “Extreme Heat Week”. The dangerous health effects of globally rising temperatures and climate change are becoming very real.
Climate Preparedness Research Underway in India: Protecting Traffic Police from Deadly Heat Wave Threats
July 17, 2015
The recent heat waves of 2015 have devastated many parts of South Asia, and make clear the importance of preparing and protecting vulnerable groups from the impacts of extreme heat in a warming world. Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan is a strong model for how cities can manage risks from rising temperatures through public outreach, capacity building and interagency coordination.
Sharing Lessons on Building Climate Resilience in India from Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan
February 18, 2015
The Vibrant Gujarat Summit- Gujarat's annual symposium to encourage development efforts and partnerships between local and international parties - is an effective opportunity for knowledge sharing on both the business and the social front. This year, the activities of the Summit, which took place from January 11th to 13th at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, aimed to bring policymakers, academia, business leaders, and investors together on the same platform.
Indian City Prepares for New Season of Dangerous Heat with Innovative Early Warning System
March 11, 2014
AHMEDABAD (March 11, 2014) – Building off of last year’s successful launch of South Asia’s first-ever early warning system and preparedness plan for extreme heat events, the Indian city of Ahmedabad, along with the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar and partners, is developing the 2014 Heat Action Plan to continue its pioneering efforts.