Schools in India's national capital must ring "water bells" at regular intervals to remind schoolchildren to hydrate, among other directives issued on Tuesday evening, as the city braces for its first heatwave of the year.
The Directorate of Education listed seven "precautionary measures" after the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for New Delhi, indicating a likelihood of heatwave conditions over the next few days.
Temperatures have already climbed to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday afternoon.
The measures included a "buddy system" where students would monitor each other's well-being during the day and "hydration measures" where schools have to ensure an abundance of cool drinking water at multiple accessible points. It also included the "water bell initiative" where a bell is rung every 45-60 minutes to remind students to drink water.
The directorate also restricted outdoor assemblies and activities.
In 2025, the non-profit organization HeatWatch recorded at least 2,287 cases of heat-related illnesses across India between the months of February and July. The study also found that 84 people had died of heatstrokes in the same time period and that the cases were likely underreported.
Based on data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, news agency PTI reported nearly 7,200 suspected cases of heatstrokes and 14 related deaths between March and June 24 of 2025.
