Special heat wave bulletins to be given to 17 states every day

Seventeen heat wave-prone states will be provided special heat bulletins every morning, besides the regular five-day forecasts, so that people can reschedule their work, arrange drinking water and other necessary items, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said today.

This was conveyed to the states during a meeting, conducted through video conference, today.

According to an official release, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that besides the regular five-day forecasts, it will come out with special heat bulletins at 0730 hours to help people plan their day accordingly.

The NDMA took stock of the states' preparedness and mitigation measures in view of the recent incidents of thunderstorm and lightning. Preparedness measures relating to these hazards were also assessed.

A detailed review of the preparedness of the states in terms of action plans up to the district levels for providing shelter, drinking water and rescheduling work timings to avoid peak heat impact for labourers, those undergoing medical treatment and others was carried out, the release said.

The NDMA underlined the importance of training all stakeholders to build local capacities and ensure better response in case of an emergency. The authority also asked the states to share a report on the activities carried out by them so that best practices followed by one state can be suitably adapted by others.

The NDMA has been running an all-out awareness campaign on social media on the do's and don'ts of heat wave, thunderstorms and lightning. The NDMA's 'Beat The Heat India' campaign is being widely used and publicised by various other stakeholders.