Heatwave in India: In view of the ongoing heat wave, the Odisha government has rescheduled the school timings for class 1 to 12, with immediate effect.
The school timing for Class-I to CIass-XII have been rescheduled from 6:30 A.M to 10.30 AM, as per the latest notification from the School and Mass Education department of Odisha.
Odisha Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told reporters that ongoing school examinations will end on March 27, and after that, classes will commence from April 2.
Anganwadi centres will also function from 7 am to 9 am during the summer, he added.
Pujari further added that several regions across Odisha, such as Boudh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Sundargarh are already experiencing heatwave conditions.
Heatwave in India
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), on March 16, Sunday, issued heatwave warnings and alerts for various districts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Goa.
In Jharkhand, temperatures soared to over 40 degree Celsius in seven districts, while in Karnataka, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao people to stay indoors between 12pm and 3 pm, reported PTI.
Odisha schools instructed to restrict outdoor activities
In view of the heatwave, the Odisha government has also instructed schools in the state to reduce outdoor activities. Sufficient ORS packets also need to be kept in schools and provided to students/ staff as and when required, the Education Department’s latest release stated.
What is a heatwave
According to the Met Department, a heatwave is declared when the “maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree C or more for plains and at least 30 degree C or more for hilly regions.”
In severe cases, heatwaves also result in sunstrokes, leading to deaths. “In the last 10 years, more than 330 people have died due to sunstroke. We have asked officers to take steps to curb sunstroke deaths,” Odisha’s Disaster Management Minister told ANI.