Steps to deal with heat wave during polls

Bhubaneswar: As Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections will be held in the peak summer, the State’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has asked district collectors to prepare contingency plans and precautionary measures to deal with heat wave-like conditions during the polls.

The Election Commission of India has announced four-phase polling in Odisha on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1 for the simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly.

SRC Satyabrata Sahu, in a letter to district collectors, told them that several rallies will be held due to the elections and proactive measures need to be taken by the district administrations. The approach should be provisioning of drinking water, temporary shelter, rescheduling of working hours, rescheduling of timing of schools/ public educational institutions and providing better medical emergency services and public health, and others to reduce the negative impact of extreme heat wave conditions, Sahu said.

Sahu told the collectors that detailed instructions have been communicated on preparedness and precautionary measures to be taken in view of the heat wave conditions. He also sought the personal attention of collectors for effective heat wave management in districts. ‘’Any untoward situation shall be brought before the undersigned (SRC) for immediate intervention’’, he said in the letter.

Meanwhile, Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) N B Dhal said district collectors, who are also district election officers, have been asked to take measures to tackle the issues related to heat wave and scorching heat situation in polling stations and outside.

The IMD sources said the maximum temperature in Odisha during May could be in the range of 39 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius in many parts of the State. particularly in the western region.

‘’The temperature during the third week of May in the western region of the State used to remain in the range of 40 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius while it is 37 degrees Celsius to 41 degrees Celsius in the coastal region’’, U S Dash, a senior weather scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said.