Green roofs, ‘cool pavements’, and incentives for environment-friendly building materials are among the strategies suggested in the ‘Heat Action Plan’, a first-of its-kind document for the State prepared by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) for tackling rising temperature levels.
Featuring guidelines for government agencies and the public, the action plan requires government departments to begin summer-related arrangements in January and submit action-taken reports to the Disaster Management Department by February 28 every year.
Guidelines aside, the 124-page document suggests a host of short- and long-term strategies including eco-friendly construction methods, afforestation, green or ‘living’ roofs and ‘cool pavements’—white-topped roads for instance, as black surfaces contribute to urban heat island effects.
“It should be studied whether changing the colour of roads would be practical and helpful in Kerala. If so, it may be implemented,” says the action plan.
For reducing heat stress, the document underlines the need to discourage huge concrete buildings, asbestos roofing, and the fad of paving front-yards with tiles. The government could also consider tax cuts for encouraging eco-friendly building materials, it adds.
A prominent feature of the action plan is that it lists specific guidelines for government departments/agencies, District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA), and the public.
Soaring summer-time temperatures in recent years, a consequent increase in heat-related health issues, and the overarching themes of climate change and global warming led to the creation of the action plan.
According to the KSDMA, 1,671 heat-related health issues were reported in the State between February 25, 2019 and June 1, 2019 alone. The list included 764 cases of heat rash, 875 sunburn cases, and 32 sunstroke cases.
The plan has been in the works for some time now. Orders had been issued on March 9, 2019, declaring heat wave, sunburn and sunstroke as State-specific disasters. Moreover, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had directed all State Disaster Management Authorities to prepare heat action plans in October 2019.
The KSDMA published the first draft in January, 2020. After consultations with government departments, a revised draft was uploaded on the KSDMA website for seeking public opinion. The State Executive Committee of the KSDMA approved the Heat Action Plan for the State on July 7. The document will be updated every year, KSDMA member secretary Sekhar L. Kuriakose says.
