Delhi reveals heat action plan: No schools in afternoon, curb on non-essential water use and more
Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has submitted the heat action plan to the Centre last month regarding the preparedness, information-sharing, and response coordination to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations, PTI reported. The pilot project proposes to alter school timings, suspend non-essential water use, provide uninterrupted power supply to health facilities and survey vulnerable locations daily to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on susceptible populations in peak summers. The DDMA also plans to paint roofs in identified areas with white colour to help keep the indoors cooler.
"The DDMA started working on Delhi's first heat action plan in September last year after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena convened a meeting in this regard. The National Institute of Disaster Management vetted it and provided suggestions," PTI reported quoting a DDMA official The DDMA proposes the heat action plan to be updated on an annual basis. A Sub-Divisional Magistrate will act as the nodal officer for its implementation, the official told PTI.
Delhi is one of the hottest cities in India and ranks among the most susceptible to heat waves due to its large population and a significant concentration of lower-income groups. Heat waves are becoming more and more intense and frequent due to climate change. India reported 706 heatwave incidents from 1971-2019 which claimed more than 17,000 lives, according to a paper authored by M Rajeevan, former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, along with scientists Kamaljit Ray, S S Ray, R K Giri and A P Dimri.
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