With the threat of El Nino looming large and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a harsh summer this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the Food Corporation of India on Monday to ensure optimal storage of grains in extreme weather conditions. The PM also stressed on the need for detailed fire audits and mock drills in hospitals by firefighters, even as he directed officials to widely circulate protocols to deal with harsh weather.
Modi also instructed officials to track the availability of fodder for animals and water levels in reservoirs on a regular basis and stressed on the need for a coordinated effort to deal with forest fires.
The IMD has been directed to prepare daily weather forecasts that are easy to interpret and disseminate, an official statement released today said.
The directions were issued by Modi during a high-level meeting chaired by him in the capital to review the preparations for hot weather in the coming summer season.
The PM was also briefed about the impact of weather on the standing rabi crops and the likely yield of major crops.
Modi reviewed the preparedness of states and hospital infrastructure in terms of availability of required supplies and preparedness for emergencies.
Meanwhile, he urged officials to prepare separate awareness material for various stakeholders including citizens, medical professionals, municipal and panchayat authorities, and disaster response teams like firefighters.
Modi instructed the officials to incorporate some multimedia lecture sessions in schools to sensitise children on dealing with extreme heat conditions.
The officials suggested that TV news channels, FM radio etc. could spend a few minutes daily to explain the daily weather forecast in a manner that would get citizens to take necessary precautions.
Senior officials in the PMO, including the principal secretary to the Prime Minister, the cabinet secretary and secretaries to the ministries of home, health and family welfare, agriculture, earth sciences and member secretary of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) participated in the meeting.
Late last month, the IMD in its seasonal outlook for the March to May period, predicted that maximum and minimum temperatures over most parts of East, North-East, Central and North-West India would remain above normal.
Only in southern peninsular India, would both the maximum and minimum remain normal to below normal, the met department had said.
According to the met department, the monthly average maximum temperature over the Indian region this February was the highest since 1901, while the monthly average minimum temperature was the fifth highest since 1901.
Region-wise, the met said that the average minimum temperature was the second highest in February over north-west India, the third highest over east and north-east India and the fifth highest over all of India since 1901.
Experts fear a spike in temperatures in March could significantly damage the standing wheat crop in Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh, where sowing has been late and where the crop has reached the grain filling stage.
High temperatures in March to May could also push up demand for electricity and have a negative impact on inflation, which was beginning to signs of moderation.
Dry winds and very high temperatures are considered to be bad for the wheat crop at its grain filling stage.
