Gandhinagar: With extreme heat conditions expected this summer, the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) organized a multi-stakeholder workshop in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Ten cities and towns most at risk from extreme heat were identified, and the state government announced that heat action plans (HAPs) would be developed for them.

GSDMA has partnered with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) to develop these plans. In collaboration with IMD and local bodies, Idar, Palanpur, Veraval, Radhanpur, Navsari, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Bhuj, Surat, and Valsad were identified for scientific HAP implementation. Notably, Ahmedabad was the first city in India to introduce a heat action plan in 2013.

Even at the start of summer 2025, the state faced red alerts due to soaring temperatures, underscoring the need for a robust HAP to protect at-risk populations, according to a GSDMA statement. GSDMA and local bodies will jointly implement HAPs in these ten cities and towns, the statement added. DeshGujarat