With temperature staying unusually high in the State, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday decided to suspend classes in all educational institutions, including professional colleges, till May 6. The online meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority, which was also attended by District Collectors, assessed the possibilities of heatwaves in the State and issued instructions to mitigate the impact of the heat.
The meeting instructed schoolchildren to avoid holiday classes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Daytime parades and drills should also be avoided at training centres of the Police, Fire Force, other forces, National Cadet Corps, Student Police Cadets etc. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) continuing to issue a yellow alert for heatwaves for Alappuzha, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Kozhikode districts, Mr. Vijayan urged residents to keep away from direct sunlight between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Those working under the sun like construction workers, farmers, and hawkers should reschedule their work timings. Workplaces roofed with asbestos and tin sheets should be closed during the day. Workers living in these types of roofed houses should be shifted, said Mr. Vijayan. In addition, audits should be conducted in areas prone to fire like markets, buildings, waste collection and storage facilities, hospitals, and major government institutions, as per the guidelines of Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.
Forest fires
The instructions of the Forest department should be followed strictly to avoid forest fire. Art and sports competition events must not be held between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Cattle should not be allowed to graze in the midday sun and and other domestic animals should not be kept in the sun. Drinking water should be ensured in places such as layams and tribal habitations. The Chief Minister also directed that trees be planted and protected in all public places on June 5, the World Environment Day.
