Heatwave continues; red alert in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar
Ahmedabad was the hottest in the state at 46.6 degrees Celsius — 4.7 degrees higher than normal temperature and Gandhinagar recorded the second highest temperature of 46 degrees Celsius — a departure of 3.7 degrees.
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The weather department has alerted a heatwave in the state till May 27. (Express Photo)No respite from the heatwave is in sight in Gujarat as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar for Friday.
“Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar are under red alert for Friday. For the state and particularly in the case of Ahmedabad, this is a longer than usual heatwave condition. A heatwave spell of three days is normal in April and around four-five days in May. However, this year, it continues to prevail for five to six days as the temperature in Ahmedabad has crossed 44-degree mark,” an IMD senior official told The Indian Express.
Amid the sweltering heat, the government has barred construction work between 1 pm and 4 pm in the state under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. The sites have to remain closed during this period. Non-compliance will attract government action, while construction workers can also complain on its helpline number.
This is also the longest heatwave spell for Gujarat in May. On Thursday, Ahmedabad was the hottest in the state at 46.6 degrees Celsius — 4.7 degrees higher than normal temperature. This is one of the highest day-time temperatures recorded in Ahmedabad in the past few years. Ahmedabad had touched 47 degrees Celsius in May 2016.
Gandhinagar recorded the second highest temperature of 46 degrees Celsius — a departure of 3.7 degrees — followed by Surendranagar at 45.9 degrees Celsius, Kandla Airport at 45.5 degrees, Deesa 45.4, Vadodara 45, Amreli 44.4, Bhuj 42.8, and Vallabh Vidya Nagar at 44.1 degrees Celsius.
In addition to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in districts of Morbi, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Rajkot, Botad, and Kutch; Anand, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Patan, Surat, Valsad, Vadodara, Aravalli, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, and Kheda on Friday, the IMD stated.
The weather department has alerted a heatwave in the state till May 27.
In the wake of the heatwave, the Gujarat Congress has demanded that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel pays Rs 4 lakh as immediate aid under the Disaster Management Response Fund. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said that due to intolerable temperatures, people are suffering from skin burns and heat stroke across the country. In Gujarat too, cases of sun stroke, skin burns and unconsciousness along with diarrhea and vomiting are being seen on a large scale, especially among children, women, senior citizens and those suffering from diseases.
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