Due to rising heat in the state, educational institutions including professional colleges have been instructed to remain closed till May 6. The decision was made keeping in mind the possibility of a heat wave. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.School students should avoid holiday classes from 11 am to 3 pm. The meeting
also decided to avoid daytime parades and drills at training centers of Police, Fire Rescue, other forces, NCC, SPC etc.
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.
Workplaces roofed with asbestos and tin sheets should be closed during the day. Provision should be made to shift the guest workers, including those living in these roofed houses, to the camps. Fire audit 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. Allowing cattle to graze in the midday sun and keeping other domestic animals in the sun should be avoided. Drinking water should be ensured in places such as layams, tribal and habitations. The Chief Minister said that 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. Drains, culverts, culverts and small canals should be unblocked before the summer rains. Do not allow garbage to pile up in public places. Mosquito control should be widespread. The Local Government Department should take care to prepare the buildings to be used for the relief camps. All the pods should be opened to the required extent and excess water should be drained out. This should be completed before May 25.
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 water flow. 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 the hilly areas prone to landslides. Training should be given so that they can move to the camps by understanding the risk of danger. 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 special 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.
