NDMA to conduct national workshop on heat wave risk reduction

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would be conducting a two-day national workshop on heat wave risk reduction in Nagpur from February 27-28, 2019. The workshop has been organised in collaboration with the Maharashtra Government.

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 Members and senior officials from NDMA.

Key Highlights

• During the workshop, 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 other stakeholders draw lessons.

• The workshop will also provide an opportunity for community capacity building and awareness generation among vulnerable populations.

• It will also discuss the integration of long-term heat risk reduction measures into developmental plans as well as climate change adaptation.

Background

Sustained efforts including timely release and effective implementation of the national guidelines on heat wave, preparation of heat action plans by 13 vulnerable States, regular follow-up and monitoring by NDMA, extensive awareness generation campaigns through print, electronic and social media, preparedness workshops in 2017 and 2018, have significantly brought down the  number of heat-related deaths in the past few years.

From more than 2,000 deaths in 2015, the number came down to 25 in 2018.