VMC Issues Heatwave Alert, Advises Residents To Stay Indoors
Special arrangements have been ordered at bus stands, markets, traffic junctions, hospitals, schools, government offices.
Vijayawada: With temperatures soaring sharply across the city, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has appealed to citizens to avoid venturing outdoors between noon and 5 pm over the next week to prevent heatstroke and related illnesses.
VMC commissioner H.M. Dhyana Chandra on Wednesday conducted a video conference with officials of various municipal departments and directed them to intensify heatwave mitigation measures and public awareness campaigns across the city.
The commissioner instructed officials to launch extensive awareness drives through pamphlets on “Dos and Don’ts”, social media platforms, public announcement systems, electronic display boards and WhatsApp groups to educate people about heat safety precautions.
Special arrangements have been ordered at bus stands, markets, traffic junctions, hospitals, schools, government offices, Anna Canteens and other crowded locations. Officials were directed to provide drinking water facilities, temporary kiosks, shaded shelters and cooling centres. The commissioner reviewed the functioning of the existing 104 “chalivendrams” (summer water kiosks) and asked officials to establish more if necessary.
To reduce heat stress in public areas, the VMC will continue sprinkling water through mist vehicles on major roads, busy junctions and markets, besides setting up sprinklers and temporary resting centres. Shade facilities have also been made mandatory at queue lines outside Anna Canteens.
The civic body has advised citizens, especially walkers, to avoid visiting parks and playgrounds after 9 am and before 5 pm. Special attention is being focused on senior citizens, homeless persons, street vendors, sanitation workers and construction labourers, with ORS packets, first-aid kits and drinking water to be made available at the ward level.
The commissioner also directed that sanitation, desilting and construction activities be carried out only during morning and evening hours to protect workers from extreme heat exposure.
Emphasising uninterrupted drinking water supply, he ordered officials to promptly repair leakages and continuously monitor chlorination and water quality testing. Control rooms handling heatwave-related complaints and emergencies have been instructed to function round the clock.
