THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the sun beating down on the state, a local body in Kozhikode has launched efforts to become Kerala’s first heat-resilient grama panchayat.
The Moodadi panchayat near Koyilandy started works on drawing up a localised heat action plan for the village with the help of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) last year.
“We approached the KSDMA seeking help to make the panchayat heat-resilient. Several preliminary meetings were held last year and now we are going to ready a localised heat action plan. Ours will be the first panchayat to do so,” said Moodadi grama panchayat president C K Sreekumar.
Heat-proofing anganwadis, hospitals and public buildings, ensuring heat-resilient development and construction, implementing carbon neutral initiatives, cool-roofing and making sectoral interventions are among the steps the panchayat is taking to achieve its plan.
In the first phase, the authorities will make 30 anganwadi buildings heat resilient through cool roofing, and make them energy efficient.
“We are according top priority to anganwadis. After that, we will focus on government hospitals and public buildings. We plan to finish implementation this year,” said panchayat secretary Gireesh Kumar.
He said they have included the heat-resilient panchayat project in the People’s Plan Programme along with the ongoing carbon neutral project. The panchayat is also mulling guidelines for new constructions. “We will publish the guidelines so that those applying for building permits get an idea about how to make buildings heat resilient,” said Sreekumar.
Meanwhile, the local body, in association with the KSDMA, is also planning to set up a health surveillance system in the village to look after bedridden patients and those in need of palliative care during the summer. A KSDMA official told that capacity-building classes will be taken for health workers so that they can look after patients requiring palliative care amid the rising heat.
“Severe heat often impacts such patients more; their health deteriorates during hot weather due to electrolyte imbalance. Post training, health workers will be able to give proper care to such patients during the summer,” said the official.