Local bodies told to prepare heat action plans

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed that all local bodies in the State prepare heat action plans to mitigate the effects of summer heat.

A meeting chaired by the Chief Minister to mitigate disaster strategies as summer peaks decided to allocate ₹1 crore each to District Collectors for activities to protect against the effects of rising temperatures.

District-level meetings should be held to prepare for rising temperatures, using the heat action plan modeled after Moodadi grama panchayat in Kozhikode.

Extreme care should be taken in the event of drought, water scarcity, fire, wild animal raids, lightning, and health issues caused by heat.

The Health department should start heat clinics. All primary health centres should be equipped with facilities to provide first aid in the event of heat stroke.

Water kiosks or stalls should be established in main markets, squares, bus stops, and other places where people tend to gather for longer periods.

Drinking water and proper ventilation should be ensured in examination halls. Existing water kiosks should be repaired and if necessary more kiosks should be set up. At the same time, quality of water should be ensured.

The Chief Minister also directed that steps be taken to protect farm produce from daytime heat.

Minister for Revenue K. Rajan, Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine, Minister for Electricity K. Krishnankutty, Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak, District Collectors, Land Revenue Commissioner Jeevan Babu K., and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose attended the meeting.