Iloilo City will develop its Heat Action Plan to address the rising temperature with the help of the government of India.

In an interview, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Donna Magno said a virtual exchange was held last week when they discussed the experience of India’s Ahmedabad City, the first in Southeast Asia to develop a Heat Action Plan.

The exchange was joined by the director of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which leads disaster management in India, as well as its network agencies and non-governmental organizations.

They shared, among others, the framework, policies, financing, and template of their Heat Action Plan.

“They started in 2012. They started looking at the early warning system, training, and information education campaign. After five years, they were able to reduce their heat-related cases,” Magno said.

She said that what is advantageous is that two of their speakers have experience in Iloilo.

Dr. Krishna Vatsa, a member of NDMA, is now based in Iloilo.

He was in Iloilo in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda and is a good friend of Sanny Jegillos, formerly Senior Advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction of the United Nations Development Program.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, former director of the Indian Institute for Public Health, Gandhinagar, has a family in Iloilo.

He talked about the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan and lessons learned.

Among their initiatives were cooling centers in communities, hourly water bells to remind children in schools to drink water, an alerting system, and encouraged schools to use a cooling roof, among others.

“We are excited because of how they drastically reduced the effects, particularly on the health aspect,” Magno said.

Another virtual meeting is set for this month, where they will look into the role of civil society organizations, and thereafter, come up with recommendations to Mayor Raisa Treñas.

“Definitely, it will include the creation of a team that will look into the effects of this increasing heat on the city and the development of our heat action plan,” she said, adding that they wanted to have the draft or an approved plan in time for the summer months next year.

Iloilo City has been experiencing rising temperatures monitored through sensors deployed in four areas.

A temperature of up to 50 degrees Celsius was recorded in Barangay Ungka in Pavia this year, while around 47 to 48 degrees Celsius was recorded along Diversion Road due to the urban heat island effect.PNA