BHUBANESWAR: The Housing and Urban Development department is set to work out a comprehensive action plan to tackle urban heatwave, and improve flood preparedness and stormwater drainage system in major cities and towns across the state.
A decision to this effect was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by H&UD additional chief secretary Usha Padhee. The meeting focused on preparing a coordinated and implementation-oriented framework for strengthening urban preparedness and resilience against rising temperature and flood-like situation.
Discussions were held on preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs), funding arrangements, capacity building, technical support and institutional mechanisms for implementation of the required measures. The focus was on all six municipal corporations as well as important major towns in other urban local bodies (ULBs), particularly areas requiring priority interventions.
During the meeting, Padhee stressed the need to bring all relevant stakeholders on board and develop a clear action plan with defined responsibilities and timelines for the purpose.
She emphasised the importance of identifying key stakeholders, including the Central Water Commission (CWC) and other expert agencies concerned and bringing them together on a common platform to improve flood preparedness in urban areas.
The H&UD ACS also called for identification of hotspots requiring immediate intervention for heatwave management in ULBs, along with a set of common interventions that can be undertaken across urban areas.
Padhee said the immediate objective should be to ensure that concrete interventions are in place to provide tangible relief to citizens before the next summer. At the same time, she called for systematic planning of medium and long-term measures to strengthen urban resilience.
Focus was laid on improving drainage system in the ULBs. The urban planning section of the department was asked to take up the issue of stormwater management on priority.
Padhee called for institutional mechanism for implementing stormwater action plans at ULB level to facilitate preparation of DPRs and provide the technical support required for effective implementation of the proposed interventions.
Among others, special relief commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Pravakar Patil and municipal administration director Arindam Dakua attended the meeting.