Andhra Pradesh heatwave claims more lives
Officials say that nearly hundred people have died, including at least 35 on Friday alone
Hyderabad: The intense heat wave across Andhra Pradesh has claimed more than 35 lives on Friday alone while 20 people had died on Thursday. Officials say that nearly a hundred people have died due to sun stroke and other heat-related problems over the last week.
Though the monsoon is officially only a few days away, the state was sizzling in scorching summer heat and last kicks of the hot season.
The temperature in many parts of the state has crossed 45 degrees Celsius. Rentichintala in Prakasham district was the hottest place in the state, recording 47.5 degrees.
While Hyderabad was reeling under an intense heat wave of around 44 degrees, roads remained deserted throughout the day. Hot winds were continuing during the nights, making it unbearable, especially for bike riders.
Normal life was also hit in other major cities of Vijaywada, Visakhapatanam and Tirupati. Nizamabad also recorded more than 45 degrees Celsius. According to the unofficial reports the temperature was hovering around 50 degrees in coal belt of Khammam district.
Of the deaths on Friday, 8 were reported from Karimnagar, 6 in Warangal, and three each from Adilabad and Prakasham.
Meteorological department officials said that the dry winds from the north have worsened the heat. They warned that the heat wave will become more intense and oppressive over the weekend marking the last phase of the summer.
It is after several years that so many people have lost their lives due to the heat wave. In Warangal, a junior college student, Rakesh Reddy, died of sun stroke while travelling to his home town in Karimnagar. He was returning after an exam.
The Department of Disaster Management and Relief announced that families of each victim of sun stroke death will be paid Rs50,000 as emergency relief from the government.
Meanwhile, there is more to the sizzling heat in Delhi than rising temperatures. Scientists have found unusually high levels of toxic ozone in the city in the past two weeks, reports IANS.
Exposure to high levels of ozone not only damages health but damages vegetation and eco-systems, according to scientists.
“Delhi’s air is known to get polluted mainly due to the rise in particulate matters which can be felt when visibility becomes poor on extreme days,” Gufran Beig of Pune’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) told IANS.
“But it is for the first time in the last three years (since pollution levels are being studied) that invisible gaseous pollutant ozone is playing havoc,” said Beig, who is programme director of SAFAR, a system put in place during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
SAFAR, or System of Air quality and Forecasting and Research network, is meant to keep a tab on pollution levels in the city.
