Heatwave Condition Aggravates: Kerala Educational Institutions to Remain Closed till May 6

All educational institutions including professional colleges will remain closed till Monday. While most schools are closed for summer vacation, many institutions have organised summer camps and special classes. They have been asked to avoid the camps and special classes between 11 am and 3 pm.

Daytime parades and drills should be avoided at training centres of police, fire brigade, other forces, NCC, Student Police Cadets etc.

Workplaces with asbestos and tin sheets as roofs should be closed during the day. Arrangements should be made to shift people, including guest workers, living in houses with such rooftops to the camps. The government has directed to conduct fire audits in fire-prone areas such as markets, buildings, waste collection and investment centres and safety precautions should be taken.

The fire audit of hospitals and major government institutions should be done immediately as per the norms issued by the State Disaster Management Authority. The instructions of the forest department should be strictly followed to avoid situations where there may be forest fires. Art and sports competitions/events should not be held from 11 am to 3 pm.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of the Disaster Management Authority held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to assess the situation arising out of the heat wave conditions in the state. The district collectors briefed the meeting about the steps that are being taken to deal with the situation.

To avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 11 am and 3 pm, construction workers, agricultural labourers, street vendors, fishermen and those engaged in other hard work have been asked to reschedule their working hours accordingly.

Ministers, top officials, including Chief Secretary Dr Venu V and Disaster Management Authority Member Secretary Sekhar Kuriakose, attended the meeting held online.