JAGATSINGHPUR: Summer has become a long, gruelling experience for children attending anganwadi centres in Jagatsinghpur district. Even as all schools have been closed in the wake of heat wave conditions, anganwadi centres continue to remain open.
Many of these centres do not have buildings of their own and function in primary school campuses, verandah of public buildings or under trees. Most of the anganwadi centres with permanent buildings do not have electricity and drinking water facilities.
Anganwadi workers said although they have been advised to run the centres from 6 am to 9 am, the heat wave can be felt from 7 am itself making it difficult for the students to sit in the open or outside public buildings.
As per official reports, there are 1,840 anganwadi centres, catering to 1.5 lakh children in the district of which, only 200 have buildings of their own. The rest function from different school buildings, clubs and thatched houses belonging to some SHGs.
An anganwadi worker said the children are being provided with hand fans to keep themselves cool.
District Social Welfare Officer, Mandakini Mohanty said there is no directive yet from the State Government to close the anganwadi centres due to heat wave. “We have alerted the anganwadi workers to look after the safety of the children first,” she said.