AMC's action plan to beat the heat saved lives across India

Summer days are upon us, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already predicted a sweltering next few weeks to come. To battle the upward surge of mercury, local and state authorities are readying different measures in order to help people cope with the extreme heat over the next few months.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and IMD have both been conducting national and regional workshops on heat wave preparedness, while a number of states and cities across the country are participating with their plans on tackling this heat.

Special credit for this should go to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), which made the city the first in south Asia to implement a comprehensive heatwave action plan in 2013. It's been six years that the Heat Action Plan (HAP) was implemented with support from IMD and IIPHG (Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar).

Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer of health at AMC, said that after implementation of HAP, there has been a drastic reduction in cases of heat strokes and heat-related deaths. "It's a matter of fact that now, there are more than 30 cities from 13 states which have been inspired by AMC's plan. The most important thing is to create awareness regarding temperature and ask people to stay indoors," said Dr Solanki.

He added that there is a three-colour alert in the city for the temperature forecast during the summer. After implementation of HAP, heat strokes and heat-related deaths reduce significantly, he said.

The HAP was implemented for the first time in 2013, and since then, it's been upgraded every year by different administrators. It was first Guruprasad Mohapatra who focused on training medical and paramedical staff for the treatment and awareness. In 2015 and 2016, D Thara focussed on maximum awareness, and started free distribution of water and buttermilk with the help of NGOs and local leaders. Since then, the AMC is sending heat-related alters to citizens via text messages. In 2017 and 2018, audio and video messages were telecast across the city via LED screens. The then municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar integrated HAP with the Smart City project, and introduced roof coating and usage of thermocol sheets for the slums. In 2018, six mobile water stations were introduced for slum dwellers.

Public health researcher Dr Abhiyant Tiwari said dissemination of information is necessary to tackle the heat. "Informing people is more than sufficient. Being part of AMC's HAP, we have created a concept among people regarding the side effects of the heat," said Dr Tiwari.

IMD now provides daily weather forecast for five days at a time, in advance to over 100 cities across the country. This too was initiated after the implementation of HAP by the AMC.