NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court took notice of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) drawing attention to the loss of more than 700 lives from heatwaves in 2024. It requested a response from the Centre regarding a plea that seeks directives for the strict implementation of national guidelines to develop an action plan for managing heatwave conditions.A bench consisting of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih issued a notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Disaster Management Authority, and other relevant bodies, asking for their response within two weeks.The plea, filed by environmental activist Vikrant Tongad, also requested directions to establish facilities for forecasting, issuing heat alerts, creating early warning systems, and providing round-the-clock helplines for redressal, among other measures.The petitioner’s lawyer, Akash Vashishtha, informed the court that over 700 people died from heat-related stress last year. He called for timely warnings and the establishment of a continuous redressal helpline to help mitigate the damage caused by heat-related stress.The Indian Meteorological Department has been issuing monthly and seasonal warnings related to heatwaves. These predictions consistently indicate an increasing number of intense heatwave days, which is leading to more fatalities.Vashistha has pointed current heat wave preventive management is not enough to deal with rising and intense heat stress.
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