Centre takes stock of situation on heatwave & forest fires 

New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Thursday chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to review the country's preparedness to deal with heat wave conditions and forest fires. 

He requested the Chief Secretaries of various states to regularly review and monitor the short term, medium term and long-term measures to ramp up preparedness to deal with heat waves.

He emphasised that efforts to maintain and augment sources of water supply should be stepped up and fire safety audit of all institutions be ensured regularly.

He observed that states and union territories need to be better prepared to meet the associated challenges related to heatwaves and forest fires to ensure that there was no loss of life and to minimise damage.

The Cabinet Secretary also assured the states that Central Ministries/ Departments are closely engaging with them to ensure optimum preparedness and for implementing timely mitigation and response measures.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) made detailed presentations on the current situation of the heat wave and forest fires respectively, including steps being taken to deal with them, across the country.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that 10-22 above normal heatwave days were observed in different parts of the country between April to June 2024.

Above-normal heatwave days in June are likely over most areas of northwest India and neighbouring areas of north-central India.

This year, the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country. Regular alerts on heat waves are being sent, IMD said.

The NDMA also said that a series of preparatory meetings have been conducted, starting from October 2023, by Central Ministries/ Departments and state governments.

Advisories have been issued to states to activate Control Rooms, enforce SoPs for heatwave, ensure drinking water availability, preparedness of health facilities including availability of essential medicines and ORS and uninterrupted power supply.

States have also been advised to conduct fire safety audits of schools, hospitals and other institutions regularly and reduce response time in incidents of fire.

State governments said that the situation is being reviewed and monitored closely by relevant departments and District Collectors.

On forest fire management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change made a presentation, outlining the action plan and preparedness to deal with the forest fires in various parts of the country.

It was informed that regular forest fire alerts are being disseminated through mobile SMS and emails.

A Forest Fire Alert System portal named VAN AGNI, which provides pre-fire and near real-time forest fire alerts, has also been developed by Forest Survey of India (FSI) to assist the states and other agencies.

The Cabinet Secretary also said that during the review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 2, it was emphasised that the issue of forest fires should be given greater attention.

A regular system of preparatory measures and annual drills to deal with forest fires, as done in case of floods etc., may be put in place.

A comprehensive approach with a focus on prevention and quick and effective response should be adopted.

Chief Secretaries of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, and senior officials from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, also attended the meeting through video conferencing.