Schools in Guwahati closed for 4 days due to extreme heat

Guwahati: All schools in Assam's Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises Guwahati city, have been ordered to close for four days starting Tuesday due to the prevailing extreme heat conditions.

As per the MET Department, the state capital recorded a maximum temperature of 37.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, which was 5.9 notches above the normal. The minimum temperature was also 3.8 notches above the normal at 28.2 degrees Celsius.

In an official order, the District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) on Monday said various incidents of ill-health and fainting of students have been reported due to excessive heat and dehydration from multiple schools.

"...it has been decided that all Govt/Provincialized/Private schools functioning under Kamrup Metro district are to remain closed from 24th to 27th September 2024 due to excessive heat and rising temperature," it said.

The DEEO further said that this decision had been taken in order to safeguard the students from the ill effects of exposure to excessive heat.

Hours after the order was issued, a heavy spell of rain lashed the capital city.

Last week, school timings in Kamrup Metropolitan, Cachar, Barpeta and several other districts were changed as the districts reeled under sweltering heat.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted that Guwahati will generally remain cloudy with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers during the next two to three days.