NEW DELHI : With the mercury soaring, the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) has asked schools to take measures for protecting children from heat-related illness (HRI). The measures include avoiding assembly in schools during the afternoon shift, availability of drinking water, extra water breaks during classes and sensitizing students to cover their head during direct exposure to sunlight.
The temperature in the capital was recorded at 380C on Saturday. “Report any case of heat-related illness to a nearby health facility/hospital. All DDEs (deputy directors of education-districts/zones) are requested to ensure the compliance,” the DoE circular said.
“Guidelines to prevent HRI include avoiding assembling in the afternoon, ensuring adequate availability of drinking water and water breaks, sensitizing students to cover their heads and reporting cases related to HRI,” read the circular issued by the Education Department.
“The rise in temperature in the national capital may lead to increased instances of heat-related illnesses like exhaustion, dehydration, diarrhea and vomiting among citizens,” it warned. It asked all heads of schools to adopt measures to spread awareness about health hazards to children due to the extreme heat.
The capital is bracing for a prolonged dry spell that is expected to drive temperatures up to 400C at isolated places in the coming week.
Heatwave conditions prevail in many states
A searing heatwave gripped parts of India on Saturday, with maximum temperatures ranging from 40°C to 46°C in many areas. According to an India Meteorological Department bulletin, heat wave to severe heatwave conditions prevailed in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal during the day. Baripada and Boudh in Odisha recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2°C.