Kerala’s state government on Thursday directed people to minimise exposure to the sun and urged authorities to monitor situations to avoid fires.
With several districts issuing heatwave warnings, the government asked all educational institutions to be shut until Monday.
Heatwaves have forced school closures in parts of Asia and North Africa too, widening learning gaps between developing nations in the tropics and developed countries, experts told Reuters.
Local media reported that at least two people died earlier this week in Kerala, but authorities are yet to confirm if their deaths were due to extreme heat.
On Thursday, the temperature in state capital Thiruvananthapuram touched 35 degrees Celsius but the IMD said it felt like 46 degrees Celsius due to high humidity.
Soaring temperatures and dry spells have caused frequent forest fires in other parts of India, and the fires have been worsened by people burning the forest to collect a flower used to brew alcohol in Odisha state.
