Photo for representative purposes.
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: The Assam government on Monday decided to shut all schools in Kamrup Metro district (including Guwahati) till September 27, after several students fell ill due to extreme heat and humidity levels.
At least four towns including the state capital Guwahati on Monday witnessed record maximum September temperatures disrupting normal lives. The temperatures in Assam on Monday hovered between 39.6 and 36.1 degree Celsius, which was between nine to seven degree celsius more than the normal temperatures.
The state had been witnessing an increase in temperature for the past four days but the situation turned worse on Monday. However, a little relief came at around 4.30pm when heavy rains lashed many parts of the state. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here at Borjhar said light to moderate rain is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura in the next 24-hours.
The situation in several towns in the rest of the Northeast was also not better. Meghalaya capital Shillong and Sohra or Cherrapunjee, normally known for cool climate, registered maximum temperature of 29.9 and 32.5 degree celsius, respectively on Monday.
This was 7.1 and 9.3 degree celsius more than the normal temperatures. Shillong and Cherrapunjee, situated atop 1,500 meters, are visited by tourists during the summer due to the cold climate but the rise in temperatures in the past few years have disappointed the visitors and affected tourism.
According to the RMC, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and North Lakhimpur broke its earlier record of maximum temperature in September. The maximum temperature in Guwahati was 39.3 degree celsius and broke its highest September temperature of 38.2 recorded in 2023. Dibrugarh and Jorhat in eastern Assam also registered a maximum of 39.5 and 37.9 degree celsius, respectively and broke their earlier records.
In a social media post, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was decided to shut all schools in Kamrup Metro till September 27 following reports about children falling ill due to high temperature on Monday.
Sources in the state education department said the decision is likely to be reviewed if the city reports rain on Tuesday.