Experts call for close collaboration between meteorology, public health

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Balbus, who delivered the special lecture at the Annual Monsoon Workshop organised by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, said that more investment is required to develop such models which would prove to be of immense value in the future.

“Climate change is affecting all walks of lives and society. Allocation of public health resources can be done better if meteorologists can predict scenarios which can give rise of instances of outbreak,” Balbus said, adding that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been implementing a pilot programme in issuing heat warning, wherein they are collaborating warnings of heat waves.

The system sees collaboration between AMC, NGOs, disaster management cells and media to raise awareness about upcoming heat waves. Balbus said that the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan piloted in April 2013 is the first comprehensive early warning system and preparedeness plan for extreme heat events in India and South Asia.

Balbus said that the Heat Action Plan (HAP) team has generated an innovative hybrid dynamical-statiscal temperature forecast system developed by Georgia Institute of Technology and Climate Forecast Applications Network. “In 2016, the HAP team in Ahmedabad is going to use IMD forecast,” he said, adding that research is starting to provide capability to use forecasts for health relevant meteorological parameters for intervention.