The Odisha Government had announced that all schools up to Class X would remain closed for five days from April 12 to April 16 amid the extreme heatwave and sudden rise in the daytime temperature. Later today, the Government ordered all schools till Class XII to be closed on April 19 and 20.
Officials, in a statement issued by the state government, had initially said, “For the past few days the temperature has been rising and the Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave warning throughout the State. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed anganwadis and schools (both government and private) up to Class X to remain closed from April 12 to April 16.”
This decision was taken when the daytime temperature in Odisha exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in nine locations. This heatwave condition is said to prevail in districts such as Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul and Boudh. All District Collectors have been asked to stay prepared accordingly.
Departments such as Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Housing and Urban Development and Energy have been directed to start preparedness to meet any exigency.
Similar to Odisha, the Patna and West Bengal State Governments had also issued an order for the schools in their respective states to remain closed due to the extreme heat.