KOCHI: It is only the second week of February, but feels like summer already. With many districts experiencing record temperature, the Labour Department has issued an order rescheduling the work hours of labourers busy under the open sky to avoid sunstroke.
The labour commissioner has rescheduled the timings from February 11 to April 30, ensuring a three-hour midday break from 12 noon to 3 pm. Accordingly, the work hours should be rescheduled to ensure eight hours from 7am to 7pm. Hilly areas 3,000 feet above sea level have been excluded as there are no chances of sun stroke.
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has issued an alert advising the public to take precautionary measures to avoid health problems caused by rising temperature. According to its Member Secretary Sekhar Kuriakose, many places have experienced record high temperature during the last week of January.
“The change in wind pattern is the reason for the rise in temperature. Unless we get a good spell of summer rain, we can expect a harsh summer,” said Cusat Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research scientist M G Manoj.
“Usually cold air from the north flows to the south bringing down the temperature during this season. But there has been a change in the wind direction. There is an anticyclonic circulation in the middle region of the troposphere, due to which there is a downward motion (subsidence) of air. As the air reaches the earth surface it heats up due to compressional warming. Besides, as the sky is clear without clouds, solar radiation reaches the surface directly. These are the reasons for the rising temperature,” he said.
Scientists point out a one-degree rise in the temperature of the surface water in the Arabian Sea which has influenced the climate conditions in the state.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), many places in the state are experiencing a departure of 1 to 4 degree Celsius in daytime temperature.“Clear sky and decease in water vapour content in the atmosphere are two factors that have led to the rise in temperature,” said India Meteorological Department (IMD) former director S Sudevan.
“Dry easterly winds blowing from Tamil Nadu and the rising temperature of Arabian Sea have contributed to the hot conditions. The loss of tree cover and increase in the number of concrete structures have led to rise in mean temperature,” he said.
