In light of record-high temperatures this summer, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection yesterday introduced an interdepartmental standard operating procedure to protect people against heat-related risks.
According to a procedure approved by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the department is to lead a panel of eight agencies in implementing heat-prevention measures when the temperature reaches reaches 38oC or exceeds 37oC for three days in a row, department Commissioner Liou Ming-lone (劉銘龍) said.
Liou said the department would ask the Taipei Fire Department to send text messages to the agencies, each of which is tasked with different responsibilities to protect residents against fierce heat.
For instance, Taipei Department of Labor personnel are to visit supervisors at construction sites and other workplaces where employees are required to work under the sun and remind them of risks associated with heat, he said.
The Taipei Department of Education is to send e-mails to all municipal elementary and junior-high schools to remind them to mind students’ safety and ensure that no outdoor classes are held, he said.
The Department of Environmental Protection is vested with the task of deploying water tankers to cool off roadways, as well as carrying out inspections to eliminate any possible mosquito breeding sites, he said.
The Department of Health is responsible for raising public awareness about heat-related risks and prevent food poisoning, while the Department of Social Welfare is to dispatch personnel to check on the wellbeing of seniors who live alone, Liou said.
Liou said that all agencies on the panel are to report back to the Department of Environmental Protection by 5pm on what actions they had taken and how many cases concerning heat prevention it processed during the day.
The Department of Environmental Protection said Taipei is experiencing the hottest June the Central Weather Bureau has recorded in 120 years for the city.
People should avoid going outdoors in extreme heat unless necessary to avoid suffering from heatstroke, heat cramp or heat prostration, the department said.
People experiencing unusual migrane, dizziness, tinnitus, thirstiness and grogginess in hot weather should seek medical help, as they are likely caused by heatstroke, it said.
Citing the latest assessment report released by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the department said that manmade greenhouse gases are a cause of rising temperatures worldwide, and that record-breaking temperatures have been recorded the world over for 11 consecutive months.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in March detected carbon dioxide levels as high as 404 parts per million, with the agency saying that the last time the Earth had such high levels was 5 million years ago, the department said.
These are all clear indicators that the global warming has become a grave threat to humankind, it said.
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