With global temperature rising during the last five years, the Odisha state administration has been geared up to tackle possible heat wave situation during coming summer.
The State Level preparedness meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi today announced a series of measures to meet the possible heat wave conditions.
The meeting decided to restrict the outside working hours from 11 AM to 3.30 PM from May 1 to June 15 next.
The schools would function from 6 AM to 10.30AM , the Angawadi centres would function from 6 AM to 10 AM and the AWC workers would finish their home visit works by 11 AM.
The school and mass education department was asked to ensure availability of ORS packets and first aid in the schools.
Commerce and Transport department was asked to issue necessary guidelines to the RTOs regarding regulation of public transport timings depending on heat wave warning situations.
The bus owner associations will be requested to keep safe drinking water, ORS and first aid in the buses.
The Chief Secretary directed the concerned departments to keep their response mechanism in all readiness to tackle any situation.
State Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said, “Institutional arrangement has been put in place for daily recording and prediction of heat wave situation.
This year block and district wise temperature reading will be done. District level preparedness meetings have already been held in all districts and district level emergency rooms have been operationlized”.
Mr Padhi directed the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water departments to keep all the tube wells and pipe water supply projects in running condition.
The department was asked to keep strict vigil on repair and maintenance of the drinking water projects at field level and undertake intensive awareness activities involving the NGOs and Civil Society Organizations.
Panchayatiraj Department Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh said, “pre-summer repair and maintenance of drinking water projects have already been completed and presently all the projects are in running condition”.
Mr Padhi further asked health and family welfare department to operationalize a special room in Government hospitals for treatment of sun-stroke and heat related diseases.
It was decided to keep all required instruments, ice packs, medicines, fans and air cooling systems in the sun-stroke management rooms of the hospitals.
The Chief Secretary directed Energy department to ensure uninterrupted power supply to drinking water projects and sun stroke management rooms in the hospitals.
The respective departments were also asked to keep the generator sets ready at these points during the summer.
Energy Secretary Hemant Sharma appraised that there would not be load shedding during peak hours.
The issues relating to daily monitoring of temperature situation, early warning and communication through print, electronic, social and web media, prevention, construction of water vats for animals and birds, ponds for wild animals inside the forests were also discussed at the meeting. (UNI)
