There could not have been a worse day for schools to reopen in the district as the mercury shot up to a searing 40°C.
The scorching heat made it all the more difficult for students to make their way back to school after the end of a long summer vacation.
Toddlers in nursery and kindergarten felt the brunt of the heat as their classes ended at around noon, when the sun was at its harshest.
While a few schools in the city deferred the reopening by a week owing to the heat, it was business as usual for most schools.
The education department instructed schools to operate only for ‘half-days’, but the move came under criticism from parents.
“What is the whole point of a half day? On one hand, the health department advises people to remain indoors particularly between 11 am and 3 pm. However, this is the time when students of nursery to Class II are sent home from school. I wrapped a wet cloth on my son’s face while bringing him back home, but he still felt very uneasy,” said R. Radha Sudha, a woman from Akkayapalem in the city.
Andhra University student leader Hemantha Kumar said that last year when schools were reopened in the same time, a student from a private school lost his life, reportedly due to sunstroke. “Temperatures are very high accompanied with heatwave this year too. The education department should extend the summer vacation by another 10 days immediately,” Mr. Hemantha Kumar said.
The student leader alleged that despite instructions from the education department, a number of private schools continued to operate till evening.
Heatwave conditions
According to AP Real Time Governance Society (RTGS), many parts in Visakhapatnam district, especially rural areas, saw the mercury touching 40°C. Narsipatnam registered 40.15°C, followed by Nathavaram and Madugula at 38°C and 39°C. Even some GVMC limits saw the temperature rising to around 40°C during the peak afternoon.
Waltair area recorded 33°C right at the start of the day at 8.30 am on Wednesday, according to IMD Hyderabad.
IMD Hyderabad also issued a heatwave alert for central coastal AP, informing that maximum temperatures are likely to hover around 43° to 45°C.
Visakhapatnam District Education Officer B. Lingeswara Reddy said that on June 11, they had instructed schools to run only half-days due to the heatwave conditions. However, no further announcements have been decided yet, he said.