PM chairs high-level meeting to review situation related to Heat Wave Management & Monsoon Preparedness

New Delhi, May 6, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review the situation relating to heat wave management and monsoon preparedness.

During the meeting, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) briefed the Prime Minister about the persistence of high temperatures in March-May 2022 across the country.

States and UTs have been advised to prepare Heat Action Plans as a standard response at the state, district and city levels.

Regarding southwest monsoon preparedness, all states have been advised to prepare Flood Preparedness Plans and undertake appropriate preparedness measures.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been advised to develop its deployment plan in flood-affected states. Active use of social media for sensitisation of communities has to be widely adopted.

Modi underlined the need to take all measures to avoid deaths due to heat wave or fire incidents and added that the response time in any such incidents should be minimal.

He stressed that, in view of the rising temperatures, regular hospital fire safety audits need to be done. He spoke about the need to work to substantially reduce the vulnerability of forests across the diverse forest ecosystems in the country against fire hazards, enhance the capabilities of forest personnel and institutions for timely detection of a possible fire and for fighting fires, and to speed up recovery after a fire event.

Modi directed that, in view of the coming monsoon, arrangements for monitoring the quality of drinking water needed to be ensured to avoid contamination and resultant spread of water-borne diseases.

The meeting discussed the need for effective coordination between central and state agencies to ensure preparedness of all systems for any incidents in the wake of heat wave and coming monsoons.

The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Advisers to the PM, the Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries in the Ministries of Home, Health, Jal Shakti, Member NDMA, DGs of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and DG NDRF.

NNN