Heat Wave and Assam State Disaster Management Plan

Dr. Amrit Goswamee

(amritg_2007@rediffmail.com)

One of the harsh effects of climate change that has been encountered in the weather system on the Indian Plateau is the heat wave. Unprecedented heat waves cause a rise in humidity in the atmosphere and the outbreak of zoonotic diseases and have a severe impact on productivity, livelihood, and income and also lead to many human health issues. This major climatic issue was discussed in a recent webinar  organized by the All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) on June 16 last with deliberations by key panellists from different sectors pertinent to the issue such as IMD, health, environment, centre for technology and development, etc., covering the mechanism and factors responsible for heat wave, effect of it, vulnerability, effect on human health, heat action plan, urban heat island issues for rapid urbanization along with certain recommendations.

There are several factors that play a role in the generation of heat waves. One factor is the westerly winds from Pakistan to the north-west and then to central India for generating heat waves. Further, high-pressure areas developed on the Arabian Sea with anabatic and catabatic mechanisms of terrain winds, adiabatic expansion and compression with crossing terrain, and the El Nino and La Nino effects of Pacific Ocean trade winds are some of the parallel factors responsible for unprecedented heat waves. Moreover, due to high pressure developed in the upper atmosphere, heat is trapped on the surface of the earth, causing heat waves. As a result, average temperature goes up even up to 45–50 oC, affecting public health, vegetation, and the economy and sometimes causing wildfires.

The highly vulnerable population for the heat wave are mostly people of old age with co-morbidity, outdoor workers, pregnant women or new-born babies, slum dwellers, etc. Of the outside workers, death occurs at the most productive age of 45-59 years due to lack of cool environment, low access to urban green space, etc. The death percentage from the indirect cause compared to the direct is higher because people carrying chronic health conditions get imbalanced in the body because the organs cannot cope with the increased heat, thereby developing pressure on the vital organs and succumbing to the cause.

Although the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has its Heat Action Plan (HAP), it is available only in 23 states, and execution is also very poor with no  centralized database. HAP is suggested to be operated in 6 domains, like information dissemination, behavioural action, infrastructural actions, nature based actions, institutional capacity building, and technological action, keeping maximum temperature as the key hazard parameter for the planning. For an effective and better Heat-Health Action Plan (HHAP), identification of vulnerable groups, establishing cooling centres and shaded spaces in public areas, safety of health during heat waves, emergency protocols, focussing on the design of hospital and primary care centres to aid passive cooling and installing cooling technology, and establishing outreach clinics and locations are very much necessary.

Rapid, unplanned, and unorganised urbanisation has been resulting in blockage of drainage with urban flooding when extreme rainfall comes, water supply problems exacerbated by droughts, erratic rainfalls, settlement of vulnerable populations in congested areas, heat trapping by concretised urban landscapes and tarmac roads making cities hotter than the surrounding areas by about 2-3oC,loss of green cover and water bodies, blocking of air flow by the buildings to take out waste heat generated from the air conditioners, vehicles, and other mechanisms, high population density and congestion, etc.

In order to respond to a heat wave, the Process Safety Management (PSM) Authority under HAP can network with the government as a protective measure for the vulnerable sections for framing mandatory staggered hours from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., breaks for construction and other outdoor workers, introducing regulations for street vendors, gig delivery workers, construction of green shaded walkways, erection of shade nets over outdoor markets, etc., and introduction of a public health system. Apart from this, for reducing urban heat, it is advocated for a PSM policy-level intervention to target at least 25% green cover and promote urban forestry with selected trees suitable for urban areas following forestation guidelines, large parks, bushes, hedgerows, lawns, shaded pathways, water bodies, wetlands, and equitable access. Building construction should be made mandatory for use of energy-efficient building materials following the energy conservation building code for reduction of urban heat island, power use, and emissions.

Air conditioners (AC) vent waste heat outside. It is found that 50% of electricity in cities is consumed by ACs and contributes to 50% emission. Use of ACs in the cities has been growing at 10% per year. Solution for this is to incentivise the use of energy-efficient ACs, making it mandatory to set ACs at 25oC or above everywhere, switch off ACs at mains, and protect green, blue, and open spaces as urban common. All these will definitely bring benefits, at least by 25% less emissions and 25% less consumption of electricity, while improving livability. PSM organizations can initiate some of these proposals by themselves, in consultations with civil societies, or in collaboration with states and urban local bodies to realize some suggestions. All these solutions together will definitely reduce Urban Heat Island (UHI) by 3-4oC.

It is heartening that the Government of Assam in 2022 updated its State Disaster Management Plan (ASDMP) prepared early in 2014 on the basis of the National Disaster Management Plan. ASDMP updated has been compiled in two volumes, in which Vol-1 is a perspective plan carrying a historical, ideological, and technical overview of disaster management plans with a long-term perspective for the period of 2022-2030 and Vol-2 carries an action plan. Further, it is indicated that ASDMP-2022 is a live and dynamic document open for suitable modification if needed, as mandated by the Disaster Management Act 2005. Although both volumes are now available in the public domain, two years of the stipulated period have already passed without getting it implemented. Whereas climate change is marked in the region and mercury in Guwahati itself soared to 38o Celsius in September, ASDMP-2022 has left heat waves out in the cold with no mention of  it amongst the hazards covered. The Assam chapter of All India Peoples Science Network expressed concern about it and has urged the government to give utmost emphasis on the issue of incorporating heat waves as one of the climate hazards in the plan after suitable modification as per provisions kept in the plan. A stitch in time saves nine, and so the Government of Assam is now expected to take note of the suggestion made for necessary measures against the exacerbating heat wave and implement ASDMP-2022 Vol-2 with no further delay.