India orders schools to ring water bells amid heatwave risk
Schools in India’s capital must ring regular “water bells” to remind students to drink water as the megacity prepares for heatwave conditions, according to a new city order, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Summers in the world’s most populous nation can be extremely harsh, putting millions of people at risk.
Government data shows that nearly 11,000 people died due to heat stroke between 2012 and 2021.
In May 2024, a heatwave in New Delhi saw temperatures reach the capital’s previous record high of 49.2°C, first recorded in 2022. That year was also India’s hottest since official records began in 1901, reflecting a broader global pattern of extreme weather linked to climate change.
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On Wednesday morning, temperatures in New Delhi and the wider metropolitan region of around 30 million residents stood at a relatively mild 29.4°C. However, weather forecasts predict that temperatures will climb to 41–43°C later on Wednesday, and further rise to 42–44°C later in the week.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a “yellow alert” for Delhi, signalling the possibility of a heatwave developing later in the week.
On Tuesday, the Delhi Education Directorate issued guidelines instructing schools to adopt a range of measures to protect students from the extreme heat.
These measures include avoiding outdoor physical activities and conducting awareness sessions to emphasise the importance of hydration.
The directive also states that outdoor assemblies should be reduced or held in shaded or indoor areas with minimal duration, and that no open-air classes should take place.
Among the more unusual measures, schools have been instructed to introduce a “water bell” initiative to prevent dehydration, as well as implement a “buddy system” to encourage students to look out for one another.
According to the circular, “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.”
It also adds, “Each student may be paired up with another student during school hours to monitor and take care of each other’s physical wellbeing.”
By Nijat Babayev
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