State to set up ‘Thaneer Pandals’ to beat summer blues

With summer heat steadily and swiftly rising, the State government has drawn up an action plan to help people beat the heat.

A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday called for setting up ‘Thaneer Pandals’ (water kiosks) in all local bodies and commercial streets across the State. Addressing the heads of departments and District Collectors at the meeting called by Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the Chief Minister suggested that the ‘Thaneer Pandals’ to be set up in the next two weeks should be maintained till May.

The makeshift kiosks, to be housed in public buildings and facilities given by volunteers, would be stocked with butter milk, cold water, and other essentials including Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS). A districtwise notification on the location of such kiosks would be soon issued, the Chief Minister said.

For setting up the kiosks, a sum of ₹3 lakh each to gramapanchayats and municipalities and ₹5 lakh to Corporations would be sanctioned from the Disaster Response Fund. The Chief Minister also urged the completion of the work on kiosks in 15 days. The cooperation of the trader’s community in areas where the summer heat was significantly high would be ensured.

The local department had given permission to utilise the Plan fund or own fund for the supply of drinking water to all local bodies. The KSDMA had also published a State Heat Action Plan detailing the guidelines to be followed by departments.

The meeting also directed various departments such as Disaster Management Authority, Health, Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Forest, Fire and Rescue Service, and Local Self-Government, to conduct a comprehensive summer disaster awareness campaign titled ‘Let’s face this heat’. The service of the Social Voluntary Sena, Apthamitra and civil defence forces, should be used for this campaign to be started within a week, the Chief Minister said.