Story highlights In 2015, 2,422 died from exposure to extreme temperatures; last year, it was less than 250

The National Disaster Management Authority launched initiatives in 2016 to target the issue

(CNN) The death toll from the intense heat that strikes India each year between March and July has dropped drastically over the past three years, according to the latest data from the National Disaster Management Authority.

In 2018, 13 people have died from exposure to extreme temperatures.

Just three years ago, in 2015, the figure was 2,422. Last year, the national toll was less than 250.

Heat waves have long plagued India and fueled a seasonal surge in deaths. There are more than 1.7 million homeless people on the streets, and fluctuating electricity supplies regularly affect temperature-control technologies, such as fans. Combined with poor access to drinking water, this means many people across the country succumb to extreme heat or cold.

Government agencies classify a heat wave by how far a day's temperature exceeds the average temperature for that time of year in a region. The Indian Meteorological Department has set the mark at about 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average temperature.

A vendor splashes cold water on his face on a hot day in Delhi, India, in May.

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