Imphal: ‘Every single citizen should be responsible enough to take the lead in planting more trees and protect the grown ones.’  This was the theme of the one day workshop on “Heat Waves and its effect on health” organized by the State Environmental Health Cell, Manipur recently. The brain storming one day workshop covered on problems of “heat waves and its adverse effect on health” later leading to hypertension in people.

“Due to our geographical locations we’ve not sensed the heat waves despite the fact that the temperature had gone up beyond the average level,” said T. Brajakumar, Deputy Director of Environment Department.  He explained that the state lies in the Himalayan belt where balancing the temperature are one of the features of this region. Hence the state mostly experienced only climate variability and not notices the heat wave. 

State Health Services, director, Dr. K. Rajo Singh said that the recent temperature raising in a district like Chandel which exceeded the average temperature has compelled a program to build the immediate long term strategies to beat the rising mercury level. Subsequently the State Government’s has developed a program under the State Action Plan on Climate Change on health sector on combating heat waves. Under this initiative, the health services directorate have identified five primary health centres – Kakching Khunou, Andro, Phayeng, Noney and Heingang – for plantation of more trees in the coming days to counter heat waves.

Alternately the Environment directorate had also identified Chandel, Tamenglong, Thoubal and Kakching as the climate vulnerability assessment districts where several climate resilient programmes would be taken up under the State Action Plan for Climate Change.

The consultative workshop would be followed up by various awareness programs focusing on the ill effects of climate change towards health, environment and the ecosystem.