Will mobile phones explode due to heat? Truth behind WhatsApp campaigns is something different

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state disaster management authority has come to the fore against the fake news circulating in connection with heat. The campaigns are being carried out in the form of official warnings. The authorities also informed that such fake campaigns are punishable under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

A WhatsApp campaign is being spread with directions such as that the temperature will rise from 45 degrees to 55 degrees from April 29 to May 12, that mobile phones will explode due to heat, and that cars should not be filled with fuel tanks completely. The message is being circulated in the name of the civil defense department. However, there is no such department in Kerala. The civil defense in Kerala is a volunteer force working under the fire service.

For official announcements and warnings, visit the official pages and website of the State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). The central meteorological department has not predicted that the temperature will reach 54 degrees in Kerala.

Meantime, Palakkad recorded a high of 39.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday. A yellow alert has been issued as the maximum temperature is likely to rise to 38 degrees Celsius in Kollam, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kasaragod till Tuesday, 37 degrees Celsius in Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kannur and 36 degrees Celsius in Pathanamthitta. On Friday, Palakkad recorded the highest temperature of this season at 40.1 degrees Celsius.