Inter-dept coordination key as city begins to boil

For Delhi, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has has started issuing heatwave bulletins twice a day.

Since summer has arrived early this year in Delhi, with temperatures already touching 42 degrees Celsius in March, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has begun coordinating with different government agencies and departments to share extreme heat-related alerts and bulletins.

A man carries an air cooler at Kamla Market, in New Delhi on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The weather bureau has started issuing heatwave bulletins twice a day for the capital, which asks the public to avoid outdoor exposure and advises them on ways to avoid a heat stroke.

It is also issuing specific instructions to each department. For instance, horticulture departments across Delhi are being asked to water their parks and gardens more frequently to avoid scorched grasses and plants, while alerts are issued to electricity utilities indicating the time of the day when temperatures are likely to peak, so that distributors can tackle peak power demand.

People can head over to the Met department’s website for the All India Weather Forecast Bulletin, which is updated everyday from April 1 until June 30, IMD scientist RK Jenamani said. The website also has information on heatwaves across the country in the form of a FAQ.

While five-day heatwave warnings are updated four times a day, at 5.30am, 8.30am, 2.30pm and 5.30pm, Delhi’s National Weather Forecasting Centre issues updates twice a day, at 8am and 4pm, Jenamani said.

“The heatwave information is shared with state governments, the media and other stakeholders, which includes Indian Railways, health departments, and the power sector and discoms, among others,” he said.

The health department also prepare for increased heatstrokes and other heat-related problems such as heat cramps, ederna (swelling) and syncope (fainting) among residents, the weather scientist said.

Weather bulletins are also sent to the home ministry, the National Disaster Management Authority, the State Disaster Management Authority, all deputy commissioners and district magistrates and road transport departments.

“For railways, track maintenance is important, and so is the requirement for additional water and energy to run the trains,” he said. “Similarly, adequate arrangements need to be made at railway stations. For roads too, maintenance is important at this time of the year, and electronic boards, especially at highways, direct people to drive slowly as road friction due to heat can cause tires to burst more frequently at this time of the year.”

The frequency of watering parks and gardens have been increased as the early heat is affecting blooms, according to R.K Singh, director of horticulture at East Delhi Municipal corporation.

“Generally, we water plants and the grasses more frequently, but this year we are also seeing the flowering period has been impacted due to the heat,” Singh said. “Flower bloom, which would continue till late April or May for certain species, is already coming to an end at the moment.”

Heat-related precautions are being taken in all departments, including across the electricity sector in order to ensure there are no power outages, a government official said, requesting anonymity.

“The state disaster management authority also ensures each department is prepared and ready for the summer,” he said.