Delhi govt preparing cold wave action plan to protect vulnerable sections

New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) The Delhi government is firming up a cold wave action plan for the city, which includes preparing a hot-spot map and standard operating procedure to safeguard vulnerable sections, including the elderly, children, migrant workers, and the homeless.

The draft "Delhi Cold Wave Action Plan" prepared by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has been forwarded to the respective departments for comments, a senior Delhi government officer said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, a cold wave in the plains is considered when the minimum temperature of a station drops to 10°C or less.

The draft action plan emphasises establishing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for minimising the impact on health of high risk groups -- senior citizens above 65 years, young children up to 5 years, homeless persons and those with chronic conditions.

Creating a standard cold wave treatment protocol, adequate arrangements of staff, beds and essential medicines in the hospitals were part of the action plan, he said.

It has laid down responsibilities of various agencies, including Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Food and Civil Supply department and the public works department, among others, he said.

The draft also recommends rapid response teams to respond to any exigency call outside the hospitals.

The cold wave SOP specifies actions to be taken by respective departments -- a map of identified cold wave risk hotspots, analysis of cold, dissemination of five days' early warning along with do's and don'ts, creation of a database of relief-related NGOs and volunteers at the district level.

The SOP also includes an emergency response plan for stray animals in an extreme cold wave, involving the identification of their shelter homes with the arrangement of food and fodder.

A total of 197 shelter homes across the city, operated by DUSIB, will provide temporary accommodation and food during the adverse weather conditions.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta last week announced that the Delhi government's winter action plan will roll out from November 15 with 250 temporary and 197 permanent shelter homes prepared for homeless and needy people in the city.

A new policy of quality and cost-based selection system has been introduced to improve the quality of shelters, she had said. PTI VIT VIT SHS SHS