The Odisha Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department has released a thorough Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to battle the growing heatwave conditions in urban areas.
The decision comes in the midst of unusually high summer temperatures, which are compounded by irregular rainfall patterns and urban heat island effects caused by large building and road surfaces that absorb solar heat.
The SOP requires prompt and effective action to protect public health, water security, and environmental management in cities and towns.The key directives include:

• Providing continuous drinking water supply via well-maintained pipelines, with complaints answered within 24 hours.
• Deploying water tankers (including hired ones if necessary) to areas of scarcity to provide emergency relief.
• Keeping tube wells and hand pumps fully operable and stocked with spare parts.
• Establishing and administering control rooms in PHEO/WATCO and city offices to address water-related complaints, while also monitoring IMD heatwave warnings and communicating with the IMD/State EOC as needed.
• ULBs are directed to increase the number of Paniya Jal Bitaran Kendra (drinking water kiosks) at critical public areas like as roadsides, intersections, bus stops, railway stations, marketplaces, and offices.

These should be run by Mission Shakti SHGs, federations, or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with a focus on potable water quality, daily water changes, appropriate cleanliness, and the use of long-handled dispensers. Agencies who put up kiosks for publicity and then abandon them may face severe consequences.

Additional measures address pollution and dust control:

• The open burning of municipal solid garbage and garden/tree leftovers is strictly prohibited.
• Awareness programs encourage people to place and change water pots for stray birds and animals.
• Prompt removal of construction and demolition (C&D) trash from roadside areas.
• Mandating that building sites and families cover areas, spray water to control dust, and dispose of items safely; noncompliance will result in penalties.
• Vehicles hauling sand, bricks, cement, or waste must be fully covered with tarps and follow speed limits.
• Maintaining roadside soil layers beneath metal road levels to avoid dust spillover.
  The use of coal or coal briquettes in urban roadside motels and restaurants is prohibited in order to reduce fly ash dust pollution, which contributes to temperature rise.
  The SOP also asks for the revitalization and pollution-free restoration of urban water bodies to improve public access and cooling benefits. All applicable Environmental Acts, Rules, and National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives must be strictly implemented, with collaboration from the police, forest, Odisha Pollution Control Board (OPCB), and other agencies.
  This preemptive action aims to reduce urban heat stress, minimize heat-related illnesses, and strengthen Odisha's cities in the face of forecasted hotter summers.