3 min readHyderabadMay 27, 2015 07:05 AM IST
First published on: May 26, 2015 at 06:43 PM IST
A man takes his buffaloes for a bath to provide relief from the heat at a pond in Hyderabad. (Source: PTI)
The extreme heat wave is taking an increasingly severe toll on the state of Andhra Pradesh.
The death toll due to the heat wave in Andhra Pradesh rose drastically on Tuesday to 600, while in Telangana it rose to 215. Temperatures, though, are likely to come down by two or three degrees in Telangana region from Wednesday, but the Andhra government has maintained its advice to people to remain indoors from 11 am to 4 pm as the heat wave conditions are likely to continue till Thursday. This despite the Met Department forecasting isolated rainfall over Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Read: Reeling under heat wave, 67 die in Odisha
Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Authority officials claim that since May 15, 104 people have died in Guntur district, 90 in East Godavari, while 84 have lost their lives in Visakhapatnam, and 61 in Vizianagaram. Some deaths are yet to be confirmed as casualties due to the heat wave.
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The number of deaths reported also went up after Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to the kin of the deceased if a person dies due to the prevailing heat wave conditions. Officials said that while they are recording deaths reported by family members citing the extreme heat, they would investigate each case before confirming it which may take several days.
In the remaining districts, 25 died in Srikakulam, three in West Godavari, 39 in Nellore, 36 in Krishna. Twenty deaths were reported in Chittoor, 13 in Kadapa, eight in Kurnool and 11 in Anantapur. State’s Special Commissioner for Disaster Management P Tulsi Rani told The Indian Express that with more reports coming in, the total toll may exceed 600.
District collectors and Andhra Police have set up kiosks and tents across the districts to distribute drinking water and buttermilk along roads and highways. Even as Principal Secretary and Disaster Management Commissioner Jagdish Chandra Sharma said that the deaths reported will have to be confirmed by officials, Vijayawada and Kakinada sizzled at 46 degrees, and Machlipatnam recorded 45 and Ongole touched 44 degrees.
In Telangana, Warangal was hottest at 46 degrees, Karimnagar recorded 45 degrees, and Nizamabad 44 degrees. In Vizag, where temperature came down to 42 degrees on Tuesday, thousands of people thronged for a dip and swim to the seashore at Ramakrishna Mission known as RK beach.
“We have received reports of 15 deaths today which has taken the toll to 215. The Met Department forecast indicates that temperatures will come down by a few degrees across Telangana,’’ said B R Meena, Principal Secretary (Revenue) and Commissioner for Telangana Disaster Management.
A man takes his buffaloes for a bath to provide relief from the heat at a pond in Hyderabad. (Source: PTI)
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