Moodadi Panchayat Unveils Innovative 'Heat Action Plan' to Combat Climate Change

On October 21, 2025, the Moodadi grama panchayat in Kozhikode district of Kerala unveiled a comprehensive 'heat action plan' to counter the rising atmospheric temperatures resulting from climate change. The plan, developed over the past one-and-a-half years through discussions and consultations with the local community and experts from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, outlines both short-term and long-term strategies to mitigate the impact of the heat.

The panchayat president, C.K. Sreekumar, stated that the plan is already being implemented, with ₹5 lakh allocated in the 2025-26 annual plan for its execution. The funds will be used to provide financial assistance for summer-related disasters, such as forest fires, droughts, heatwaves, sunstrokes, and wildlife attacks, as well as to support individuals who suffer loss of life, require hospitalization, or incur damage to crops or livestock.

Some of the short-term measures include setting up water pavilions in major marketplaces and trading hubs, ensuring the availability of clean drinking water and thirst-quenching beverages, and instructing construction agencies to provide drinking water and shaded rest areas at worksites. The long-term strategies focus on developing green spaces, such as parks and tree-shaded areas, in the panchayat's small urban centers to reduce the heat impact.