No schools in afternoon, Delhi's plan to mitigate heat impact

NEW DELHI: Delhi will alter school timings to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on susceptible populations in peak summers, according to the city's new heat action plan. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which prepared the plan and submitted it to the Centre last month, also plans a pilot project to paint roofs in identified areas with white colour to help keep the indoors cooler.

The education department will have to ensure that "schools do not function during peak hours (12 noon to 4 pm)" when a heatwave is declared.

The nodal officer, who will be responsible for the implementation of the heat action plan (HAP), is still to be appointed, a DDMA official told PTI.

Delhi is one of the hottest cities in India and ranks among the most susceptible to heat waves due to its large population and a significant concentration of lower-income groups. Heat waves are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.

India reported 706 heatwave incidents from 1971-2019 which claimed more than 17,000 lives, according to a paper authored by M Rajeevan, former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, along with scientists Kamaljit Ray, S S Ray, R K Giri and A P Dimri.

A study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar says India could witness a staggering 30-fold increase in severe heat waves by 2100. A 75-fold rise is predicted under a business-as-usual scenario. The Delhi HAP relies on heat wave forecasts from the India Meteorological Department for the next seven days for issuing colour-coded alerts to the local population.