Chandigarh, June 5 -- Emphasising the significance of weather forecasting, experts from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Thursday said that the frequency of heatwave days has increased compared to the last decade. A capacity building programme on climate change and heatwave preparedness was organised at the institution to observe World Heat Action Day and Environment Day. The programme was organised under the global theme 'indoor heat'. Keynote speaker and director of the India Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, Surender Paul, emphasised the significance of early warning systems for mitigating the negative effects of extreme heat. "The IMD is focusing on disseminating information through the SACHET and MAUSAM applications as risk-reduction strategies," added Paul. Ravindra Khaiwal, faculty at the community medicine department stressed the need to focus on protecting vulnerable people like older adults, pregnant women, small children, individuals with ongoing health issues among others, as heatwave-related mortality is significantly high among them, by providing proper social and infrastructure support. He said that we can minimise the effects of increasing temperatures, known as the urban heat island, by adopting nature-based solutions and sustainable urban planning for blue-grey-green infrastructure. Khaiwal suggested solutions like cool roofs, ventilation, heat-health action plans, and urban greening. Experts have noted that it is necessary to strengthen communities that can withstand heat by improving housing design, enhancing ventilation, implementing heat-health warning systems among other efforts. The event concluded with a call for ongoing research on climate change and changes in buildings....