Heatwave conditions: India orders school water bells to beat heat

NEW DELHI: Schools in India’s capital must ring regular bells to remind schoolchildren to drink water as the megacity gears up to face heatwave conditions, a new city order has said.

Summer heat in the world’s most populous nation can be brutal — putting millions of people at risk, with nearly 11,000 people dying due to heat stroke between 2012 and 2021, according to government data.

A heatwave in May 2024 in New Delhi saw temperatures match the capital’s previous record high: 49.2C clocked in 2022.

That year was India’s hottest year since thorough records began in 1901, with sizzling temperatures following a global pattern of extreme weather driven by climate change.

The temperature on Wednesday morning in New Delhi and the wider sprawling metropolitan region of 30 million residents was a relatively balmy 29.4C.

But weather forecasters predict temperatures will hit 41-43C later on Wednesday, and rise to 42-44C later in the week.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a “yellow alert” for Delhi, indicating the likelihood of a heatwave later in the week.

On Tuesday, guidelines issued by the Delhi education directorate asked schools in the city to adopt a plethora of steps to shield students.

They included avoiding “outdoor physical activities” and conducting “awareness sessions” to remind them of the importance of hydration.

“Outdoor assemblies to be curtailed or conducted in shaded/indoor areas with minimal duration,” the note read. “No open air classes to be conducted.”

Quirkier directions are also on offer: schools have been asked to start a “water bell” initiative to prevent dehydration and also implement a “buddy system” for students to look out for each other.

“Schools shall implement a ‘Water Bell’ system, whereby a bell is rung at regular intervals (every 45-60 minutes) reminding students to drink water to prevent dehydration,” the circular notes.

“Each student may be paired up with another student during school hours to monitor and take care of the each other’s physical wellbeing,” it added.