Punjab Govt Announces Summer Vacation in Schools From May 14 as Country Reels Under Torrid Heatwave

The IMD has issued an 'orange alert' for Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra for Saturday.

Chandigarh: In view of the severe heatwave that is sweeping Punjab and most of India, the state government has declared summer vacation in all schools from May 14. “Considering the sudden intense heatwave and suggestions of thousands of parents and teachers, it has been decided to declare summer vacation in all schools of Punjab from May 14,” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said in a tweet in Punjabi.

For the past several days, maximum temperatures have been hovering a few notches above the normal limits in Punjab and some of its neighbouring states, including Haryana. On Friday, Bhatinda recorded a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius and Patiala a high of 43.4 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in Amritsar was 42.3 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 43.2 degrees Celsius and Jalandhar 42.7 degrees Celsius.

India reels under torrid heatwave: 10 Points

1. The mercury soared across large parts of the country on Friday, with Banda in east Uttar Pradesh logging a record high of 47.4 degrees Celsius for April, besides many other places also registering all-time high temperatures for the month.
2. The mercury breached the 46-degree Celsius mark in several places. Allahabad, Jhansi and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh recorded all-time high temperatures for April at 46.8 degrees Celsius, 46.2 degrees Celsius and 45.1 degrees Celsius respectively.
3. Gurugram in Haryana and Satna in Madhya Pradesh also recorded their respective all-time highs for the month at 45.9 degrees Celsius and 45.3 degrees Celsius.
4. Among other places, Delhi’s Sports Complex observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 46.4 degrees Celsius, Rajasthan’s Ganganagar 46.4 degrees Celsius, Madhya Pradesh’s Nowgong 46.2 degrees Celsius and Maharashtra’s Chandrapur 46.4 degrees Celsius.
5. Delhi’s Safdarjung Observatory, the national capital’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius for the second day on the trot.
6. It is the highest maximum temperature for a day in April in 12 years in the city. Delhi had recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7 degrees Celsius on April 18, 2010.
7. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the heatwave spell will persist over northwest and central India till May 2 and over east India till April 30.
8. An ‘orange alert’ has been issued for Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra for Saturday.
9. The heatwave is expected to abate from Monday under the influence of a western disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India from the night of May 1, it said.
10. Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana may witness light rainfall and thunderstorm between May 2 and May 4. The maximum temperatures will be between 36 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees Celsius, senior scientist R K Jenamani said.

(With inputs from PTI)