In a bid to help relieve students from heat impact, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has laid out a new heat action plan for the national capital. The plan proposes to revise Delhi School timings, suspension of n on-essential water usage, providing uninterrupted power supply to health facilities, and daily surveying vulnerable locations to minimise the impact of peak summer heat. The DDMA also plans to run a pilot project in which roofs of houses in identified areas shall be painted white in order to keep a tap on indoor temperatures. However, the nodal officer who shall be responsible for the implementation of the plan, is yet to be appointed though, a DDMA official told PTI.


The new heat action plan considering the fact that the national capital Delhi is one of the hottest cities in the country prone to intense heat waves in peak summers. As proposed, the ‘new Heat Action Plan’ will be implemented in three phases. The Phase-1 (Pre-Heat season) will be implemented in February - March, and would aim at capacity building through the development of appropriate early warning systems and communication plans to prompt citizens, health professionals and volunteers. 


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The second phase shall be observed from March - July, and shall focus primarily on developing ‘Cooling Centres’ including temples, public buildings, malls, and temporary night shelters. These cooling shelters will be aimed at providing shaded areas to the vulnerable population like outdoor workers and people residing in slums, in the wake of heat alerts. In the third phase to be implemented in the August-September period, the plan aims to establish cool resting centres in high-risk areas and plantation of trees in heat hotspots.


Furthermore, the Heat Action Plan also proposes to suspend non-essential water usage to tackle water shortage during summer. Potable water access will also be enhanced in places with larger gatherings like religious places, bus transit stations and distribution of water pouches in high-risk areas, as per the plan. The plan further states that the nodal officer shall monitor the developments and implementation of the plan regularly, and the education department must ensure that no schools operate in the peak hours (02:00 PM to 04:00 PM) during a heat alert. 


(With inputs from PTI)


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