District-Level Pre-Preparedness Workshop on Heat wave Management Held
Collector Calls for Proactive, Sensitive Approach to Heatwave Management
Priority Focus on Drinking Water Supply in Water-Scarce Areas
News,Odishabarta
Chhatrapur, Dt. 18.02.2026: As per forecast of India Meteorological Department (IMD), severe heatwave likely in Ganjam district during current year. Heatwave may cause sunstroke-related risks to public life, therefore widespread public awareness necessary. District Collector Shri V. Keerthi Vasan requested residents to carry water bottles, umbrellas, caps, and cover head with wet cloth while going outside for essential work, and to avoid stepping out during peak afternoon hours unless urgent necessity.
While addressing district-level pre-preparedness workshop on heat wave management at Rishikulya Conference Hall, Collector advised departmental officers to execute all activities with commitment and sensitivity instead of treating heat wave management as routine responsibility.
During summer season, drinking water scarcity becomes major hardship. Collector directed immediate repair of defunct tube wells, provision of mobile drinking water supply vans in all blocks as per requirement by end of current month, and priority attention to drinking water problems in Bhanjanagar, Sunapur, and other water-scarce areas. He also directed ensuring uninterrupted power supply, extensive and systematic water kiosks, provision of drinking water for animals and birds, establishment of day shelters for vulnerable people, creation of dedicated heatstroke wards in District Headquarters Hospital, Sub-Divisional Hospitals, and all Community Health Centres with adequate emergency treatment facilities.
Further directions included regular guidance to students to drink water at intervals, ensuring power supply to all Anganwadi centres, extinguishing forest fires within 24 hours and arranging drinking water for wildlife, involvement of local public representatives in all activities, operation of 24-hour control room along with regular maintenance of Google Sheet for issue tracking and resolution, adequate stock of ORS and essential medicines by Health Department, and ensuring labour work as per government schedule.
Collector emphasized adoption of State Government zero-casualty approach during current summer season and urged all officers and staff to accelerate preparedness measures.
Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) Devadatta Panda, Sub-Collector Berhampur Avinash Kumar, Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer Zilla Parishad Bijay Kumar Behera, Sub-Collector Chhatrapur Shubhashish Baral, Sub-Collector Bhanjanagar Umashankar Behera, District Emergency Officer, and officers of Drinking Water, Health, Power, Transport, Labour, Education, Social Welfare and other departments attended the workshop.
I&PR,, Ganjam
