Strict restrictions in state due to scorching heat, directs to close educational institutions

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government directed to impose strict restrictions in the state due to extreme heat. A directive regarding this was made in the review meeting chaired by the chief minister. The collectors explained the situation in various districts in the meeting held to assess the feasibility of heat wave in the state.

The chief minister requested to avoid direct sunlight on the body between 11 am to 3 pm. Construction workers, agricultural workers, hawkers, fishermen, and those engaged in other strenuous jobs should adjust their working hours accordingly.

Will give directions to close educational institutions including professional colleges till May 6. School students should avoid summer classes from 11 am to 3 pm. Daytime parades and drills should be avoided at training centres of police, fire brigade, other forces, NCC, SPC etc.

Workplaces roofed with asbestos and tin sheets should be closed during the day. Provision should be made for shifting the guest workers, including the migrant workers living in these roofed houses to the camps. Fire audits should be conducted and safety precautions should be taken in fire prone areas such as markets, buildings, waste collection and storage facilities.

Fire audit of hospitals and major government institutions should be done promptly as per the norms issued by the state disaster management authority. The instructions of the forest department should be followed strictly to avoid forest fire situations. Art and sports competitions/events must not be held between 11 am to 3 pm. Cattle should not be allowed to graze in the midday sun and other domestic animals should not be tied up in the sun.

Drinking water should be ensured in places like layas, tribals, habitations etc. The chief minister said shade trees should be planted and protected in all public places on June 5, the Environment Day. A meeting should be held under the leadership of the collector in the presence of the minister in charge of the district to discuss the matters to be done first as part of pre-monsoon cleaning. Local self-government bodies should start pre-monsoon cleaning as a matter of urgency. Blockages in drains, culverts and small canals should be cleared before the onset of summer rains.

Do not allow garbage to pile up in public places. Mosquito eradication should be widespread. The local government department should take care to prepare the buildings to be used for the relief camps.

Obstructions in front and back of main regulators and spillways should be removed. Make sure the shutters are working. The rule curve monitoring Committee should ensure that the water in the dams does not rise above the rule curve approved by the central water commission.

There is a possibility of waterlogging in urban areas. Drainage systems should be cleaned to facilitate the flow of water. Necessary review should be done as soon as possible as per the norms issued by the disaster management authority to ensure the safety of the schools. Trees, branches, hoardings, posts etc. in danger condition should be removed before rain.

A safety warning should be given when working on the road. Safety of pedestrians should be ensured. Strong awareness should be created among the people in hilly areas where there is a possibility of landslides. Training should be provided to understand the possibility of danger and move to the camps on your own.

Hazard warnings should be displayed at tourist attractions. A safety warning should be issued in water bodies that may be flooded. Volunteer forces like Apadmitra, Civil Defense etc. should be prepared early. The chief minister also said that much attention should be paid to prevention of infectious diseases including rat fever and dengue fever.

Ministers, Chief Secretary Dr Venu V and other senior officials, disaster management authority member secretary Shekhar Kuriakos and others participated in the online meeting.

Meantime, there is a heat wave warning in four districts of the state. A possible heatwave warning was given in Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Palakkad. There is also a warning that the temperature will rise in Alappuzha for two days.