Moodadi panchayat in Kozhikode unveils ‘heat action plan’

Moodadi grama panchayat in Kozhikode district has come up with a ‘heat action plan’ containing short-term and long-term strategies to counter the rise in atmospheric temperature resulting from climate change. Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh unveiled the plan at an event held in Moodadi on Tuesday.

C.K. Sreekumar, president of the panchayat, told The Hindu that the plan was a result of the discussions and consultations with the people, and experts in the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority over the past one-and-a-half years. “We have already started implementing some of the proposals,” he said.

A sum of ₹5 lakh has been allocated in the 2025–26 annual plan document of the panchayat for the implementation of the plan. Financial help will be provided for summer-related disasters such as forest fire, drought, declared heatwave, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, and wildlife attack, and individuals who suffer loss of life, require hospitalisation, suffer injuries, or incur loss of crops or livestock. This would be under the State Disaster Response Fund as per its existing guidelines.

Some of the short-term plans include setting up of water pavilions in places such as Nandi Town, Moodadi Hill Bazaar, SARBTM Government College, Koyilothumpadi, Palakkulam, Chingapuram, and other major marketplaces. Clean drinking water and thirst-quenching beverages should be made available at trading hubs, fish markets, and fishing coasts. Availability of clean drinking water should be ensured for commuters. Construction agencies will be instructed to provide drinking water and shaded rest areas at worksites, and to conduct awareness campaigns.

As part of waste management steps, dried leaves and brushwood prone to ignition will have to be removed. Safe storage of plastic waste collected by Haritha Karma Sena should be ensured to avoid the risk of fire. Burning of waste in deep quarries, dumping pits, and abandoned wells should be prevented. Public and private institutions and schools with heat-retaining roofs should be identified and they should be replaced. The long-term steps include developing green spaces such as parks and tree-shaded areas in small urban centres of the panchayat to reduce heat impact. Urban planning documents should incorporate climate change concerns through risk-informed planning.

Green all bus shelters should be set up across the panchayat and they should be equipped with cooling devices. Cooling centres should be installed in vulnerable areas, says the heat action plan document.