Schools in the State will soon be rid of asbestos roofing sheets. The government has issued an order banning asbestos roofing sheets in schools. Existing roofs will have to be removed within two years and replaced with suitable materials.
The order comes in the wake of an interim order of the Kerala High Court on a writ petition filed by a school manager from Thrissur.
The order banning the use of asbestos sheets for roofs of school buildings in light of their harmful impact on students’ health is binding on all schools in the State.
Managements of aided, unaided, and recognised private schools and local self-governments have to take steps to remove the sheets.
The Director of General Education (DGE) has to draw up a list of schools that have asbestos roofing sheets and ensure that these are removed in a time-bound manner and replaced by other suitable roofs. The DGE has to submit monthly reports to the government in this regard.
Heats up quickly
The DGE and engineers of local self-governments concerned should ensure that as per the Kerala Education Rules, banned materials that heat up quickly or are inflammable are not used for replacing roofs of school or for the roofs of new school buildings.
As per the General Education Department’s preliminary estimates, the order will affect nearly 1,000 school buildings. There are government schools too that use asbestos roofing sheets. In many of them, only some structures have these roofs.
