Bhubaneswar, Feb 15: The temperature in the summer season has started rising abnormally due to unusual rainfall followed by prevailing erratic climatic condition.
Further, due to large building surfaces, more road surfaces and infrastructure absorbing solar heat energy, urban areas are experiencing higher temperatures in the summer.
In view of the situation, Housing and urban Development (H&UD) department has issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) with strict instructions to adhere to it and take necessary steps by all the urban local bodies (ULBs).
PHEO/ULBs are required to ensure adequate drinking water supply to all the urban areas. For this purpose, water supply pipelines should be kept in proper working condition and any complaint thereof needs to be attended within 24 hours, read a statement.
Water tankers should be deployed to different scarcity pockets for providing drinking water for emergency measures to ensure drinking water supply. Additional number of tankers, if required, may be arranged on hiring basis, it said.
All the tube wells/ hand pumps must be kept in operational condition and spare parts should be kept ready for repairing of hand pumps/tube wells.
Control rooms are to be opened as usual in the PHEO/ WATCO, city level offices and managed by responsible officials to attend to the complaints received on water scarcity. The heat wave warnings issued by IMD should be tracked on regular basis and if necessary, control room of IMD/State EOC may be contacted for such information
The ULBs should start opening more number of drinking water distribution centers at strategic places.Water provided in such water kiosks must be of portable quality and proper sanitation be maintained including use of long handle dispensers and change of water daily.
Vehicles transporting construction material like sand, bricks, cement and garbage must be fully covered with tarpaulin sheet and their speed is to be limited.
