NDMA to conduct 2-day national workshop in Hyderabad

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting a two-day national workshop in Hyderabad on heat wave risk reduction through sharing of best practices beginning tomorrow. The workshop, to be held at Dr. MCR-HRD Institute, Hyderabad, has been organised in collaboration with the Telangana Government.

In India, heat waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July. It may result in dehydration, heat exhaustion, stress and even a fatal heat stroke. As recently as 2015, more than 2,000 people died due to heat wave in the country.

Noticing the intensity of heat wave in the country, NDMA formulated and circulated the ‘Guidelines for Preparation of Action Plan – Prevention and Management of Heat-Wave’ last year. It significantly brought down the number of heat wave-related deaths in 2016.

In this backdrop, this workshop aims to further sensitise the States to the need of implementing the salient features of the Guidelines. Some of the most vulnerable States which have done a commendable job in mitigating the impact of heat waves will share their experiences and best practices to help others prepare their Heat Wave Action Plans.

It also aims to provide an opportunity for community capacity building and awareness generation among populations who are at risk of heat-related illnesses in places where extreme heat conditions are imminent. The workshop will also discuss the plan for managing the adverse effects of heat wave in the country this year.

Three technical sessions – Heat Wave Action Plan and Risk Reduction, Experience Sharing of Heat prone States and Implementations of Mitigation Measures and Early Warning and Forecasting of Heat Wave – will be held on the first day of the workshop.

Two more technical sessions – Effective Governance Tools for Increased Resilience to Heat Wave and Monitoring, Review and Updation of Heat Action Plan – will be held on the concluding day of the workshop.

The workshop will be attended by experts on heat wave as well as other stakeholders such as early warning and forecasting agencies, State governments and research institutions apart from senior officials from NDMA.