Overview
- An assessment by child rights group CRY, based on surveys of 3,096 schoolchildren across 27 states and union territories, found about 68–70% missed school or routine activities during the May–June 2026 heatwaves.
- Seventy-six percent of respondents reported that heat reduced their ability to focus on studies and 88% said this summer felt hotter than past years.
- The report recorded acute health symptoms: 63% reported dehydration, 51% headaches, and 44% extreme fatigue during intense heat spells.
- More than half of children said power cuts or overheated homes made heat worse and nearly 30% faced water shortages, while many noted heat made parents’ work harder and raised stress at home.
- CRY highlighted that impacts were worse for economically vulnerable households—about 71% of children from daily-wage families reported severe distress versus 46% from other households—and called for children’s perspectives to shape stronger adaptation and Heat Action Plans.