Hyderabad: With the maximum temperatures coming down over Telangana by almost three to four degrees at many places, the Meteorological Department has downgraded the deadly heatwave from severe to moderate.
However temperatures in Andhra Pradesh remained three to four degrees above normal with Nellore, Prakasham and Rajahmundry recording a high of 43 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
In Hyderabad, where temperatures ranged from 41 to 44 degrees for almost ten days, the situation had improved a bit as the Met office recorded a temperature of 37 degrees at noon on Wednesday.
The maximum temperature was likely to be around 39 degrees, the weather office said.
The total death toll in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has crossed 1,100.
While the Telangana government has confirmed 266 deaths, Andhra Pradesh has recorded 852 deaths since May 13.
Prakasham district headed the list with 202 deaths followed by 130 in Guntur.
An unusually high toll this year, with the victims mostly the elderly, women and young children, has also raised several questions about the factors behind the deadly heatwave.
The most dire and telling explanation has come from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which attributes the sharp increase in the deaths to sun stroke caused by a high ultraviolet radiation index, specifically in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The WMO has put the UV radiation index of the two states at a high of 12 which is extremely risky and dangerous, making people prone to sun stroke and various other ailments.
The UV radiation index measures the strength of sun rays at a particular place on a scale of 0 to 10 and above, where 0 equals no risk, 5-7 medium and 7-10 high risk.
The UV index stands at 12 in AP and Telangana, much more than advised.
Ghufran Baig, programme officer, Indian Institute of Tropicla Meteorology at Pune said: “If the UV radiation is above the 11 mark, it is extremely dangerous as it may cause sun stroke within 30 to 60 minutes of exposure to the sun.”
The WMO has warned the index will remain at 12 for another week.
Meanwhile the hospitals in Hyderabad and Telangana were flooded with people complaining of high fever, skin allergies and kidney problems, all indicative of dehydration and sun stroke.
The other significant temperatures recorded in Telangana Wednesday include 43 degrees in Nalgonda, 42 in Adilabad and Karimnagar, 41 in Khammam. In Adilabad the temperatures came down after last night’s thunderstorm.
With weather office forecasting similar thunderstorms at some places in Andhra Pradesh, the mercury was likely to dip further.
“But the heatwave conditions will continue for another day,” YK Reddy, director in charge of Hyderabad Meteorological Centre said.
If this year’s severe heatwave — reminiscent of 2003 when 1,300 people lost their lives in the state — was alarming, experts warn of more severe weather ahead.
An extensive study by a team of experts of Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research of Germany has warned the duration of heatwave in Hyderabad will become lengthier. The study titled “Climate Change Scenario of Hyderabad” said that the length of heatwave in a year is typically five days, but in the coming years it may increase to 40 days per year.
The team of experts from Germany Institute comprising Matthias K B Ludek, Martin Budde, Oleksandr Kit and Diana Reckien made the prediction up to year 2100 where the heatwave will last for 40 days a year.
Heatwave means the temperature going up by five degrees above normal and severe heatwave indicates a high rise in the temperature which was the case this year when temperatures went up by as much as 8 degrees Celsius in many places. In fact Khammam with a maximum temperature of 48 Degrees Celsius broke a 67 year old record.
