As heat takes toll on Bhopal, school vacations may be extended

BHOPAL: As mercury continues its relentless march northwards, the district administration is mulling to extend the summer vacation—scheduled to end on June 16—of schools in the city.
On Friday, Bhopal sizzled at 45.9 degrees Celsius.
BMC Commissioner B Vijaya Datta, who currently has the additional charge of district collector, said that if the heatwave persists, the administration may have to extend the vacations.
“As of now, all schools will reopen from June 17 and we have issued an advisory to all private and government schools to stick to that date. When, we came to know that some private schools were reopening from June 10, we have issued this advisory again. If the heatwave continues, the summer vacations will be extended”, said Datta. He appealed to citizens not employ unskilled labourers in the afternoon, especially between 11 and 3pm, when the temperature peaks. An advisory is likely to be issued in this regard, once it is readied by the labour department.
Even as the searing heat took a toll on everyone—residents and animals alike— the roads wore a deserted look. Birds too bore the brunt of the heat and were fainting and lying on the ground probably due to dehydration at several locations in BHEL, Arera Colony and Katara Hills.
Ajay Shrivastav, who was heading to his workplace, found a squirrel lying right in the middle of the road. “When I stopped my car and bent down to put it by the side of a tree, I was taken aback that it had already died. In all probability, it didn’t die of an injury, but due to the extreme heat. Many such squirrels and bats could be spotted in the open fields as they do not find any shade or water to drink.”
Bird expert Mohd Khalik told TOI that the winged creatures and rodents suffer from acute dehydration when temperature shoots beyond 40 degree Celsius. The indiscriminate felling of trees has brought thing to such a pass, he added.
“When temperature goes extreme, birds suffer from dehydration and fall down while flying. They also faint during flight or hit high-rise buildings, succumbing to death soon after. Since there are hardly any trees left, it is the duty of the citizens to keep wide-mouthed shallow earthen vessels filled with water on their terrace and balconies. They can also add glucose to the water as it gives the birds instant energy,” said Khalik.
The residents should keep tubs of water in the open for tiny creatures to bathe and cool themselves during the afternoon. Bread and chappatis ca be broken into small crumbs so that the birds can feed on it.
Prerna Debey, who was returning home from her coaching, had a torrid time. “Unwanted pimples and rashes are developing due to this extreme heat. I’m also experiencing headaches and constant fatigue,” she said.
“It is becoming difficult to even step out of the house and important work has to be postponed due to heat. I hope monsoon comes soon,” said Ashish Tiwari, who works at a private firm.
Another student Akash Jain, too, was discomfited. “I could not even drive my two-wheeler properly as the sheer heat caused my eyes to turn red and itchy. I had to splash use water from the fridge on my eyes as the tap water is too hot. My productivity in class is also going down as I have difficulty in reading due to the irritation in eyes,” said Akash.