Sun stroke claims 150 lives in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

States also face acute shortage of drinking water

Severe heat wave conditions prevailing in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have so far claimed over 150 lives in the past few days. Temperature ranging from 40 to 45 degrees, which is almost 5 degrees more than seasonal average, has affected normal life in almost all 10 districts in Telangana and 13 districts in AP.

Hot weather along with severe dry winds have turned life into a veritable hell in these two states, which are also facing acute shortage of drinking water. In Telangana, the government has pressed water tankers to cater to the needs of 1,650 rural areas particularly in Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts. There is also severe shortage of green fodder for the cattle.

In Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema region bore the brunt of heat, while coastal region was comparatively cooler. Anantapur continued to sizzle under 44 degrees Celsius day time temperature, Kurnool and Nandyal at 43 degrees, Tirupati 42 and Kadapa 41.
Vijayawada recorded 40 degrees Celsius. In Anantapur, Tarimela and Pamudurti were the hottest with 46 degrees temperature. District revenue officials say that such high temperatures were noted almost after 12 years.

More funds
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister who has held a video conference with all district collectors on Friday, has directed them to give top priority to provision of drinking water. He said that additional funds have been released to cater drinking water through water tankers.

In Telangana, Adilabad recorded 45 degrees, Hyderabad 43, Warangal and Karimnagar 40. Coal belt region of Ramagundam was the hottest in Telangana which crossed 45 degrees in the open mining sector. Considering the severity of the heat wave, Telangana government has declared summer holidays for all schools from Saturday and warned private institutions not to violate the orders.

Meanwhile, the cyclone warning centre in Vizag has said that there could be scattered rains in few places in AP and Telangana due to cumulonimbus clouds arising out of hot weather which could bring down temperatures considerably in a day or two.

Hottest April in TN
Tamil Nadu, too, has been reeling under extreme heat wave conditions with temperatures crossing above 40 degrees on Friday in over 10 districts.

Dharmapuri recorded a high of 41 degrees, the highest April temperature for the district in nearly 18 years as it registered 41 degrees in 1998.

Trichy, Vellore, Tiruttani and Tirupattur have also recorded 41 degrees as people stayed at home. Most of the roads in Chennai, which scorched at 39 degrees, also wore a deserted look in the noon.

The latest weather bulletin on Friday evening said temperatures would increase by two degrees in coastal districts, accompanied by heat wave conditions.

However, southern districts experienced sporadic rains with Ayikudi in Tirunelveli district recording 20 mm rains in the last 24 hours. Erode recorded 10 mm rains in the same period.

A senior Met official said late arrival of sea breeze in the last one week has made the heat especially extreme in April.

UP sizzles
Mercury soared to 42 degree Celsius in parts of Uttar Pradesh on Friday. Heat wave-like conditions forced people to remain indoors while roads wore a deserted look during the day in the state capital.

According to weather officials, the maximum temperature was likely to rise further in the days to come. Hot winds emanating from Rajasthan are adding to heat wave-like conditions.

Rising temperatures have also pushed up the demand for power. Large parts of the state, especially rural areas, have been experiencing unscheduled power cuts for several hours.