Heat wave claims 9 lives in Vizianagaram since April

VISAKHAPATNAM/VIJAYAWADA: With Vizianagaram recording a maximum temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius at 23 out of 67 automatic weather stations (AWS) on Friday, it is now the hottest district in north coastal AP. Officials from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) attribute the high temperature to several factors including the district’s topography, climate, nature of soil and industrialisation.
Srikakulam district registered a maximum temperature of over 40 degree Celsius at only 18 out of 70 AWS, while Visakhapatnam registered a similar maximum temperature at only six out of 213 AWS.
Vizianagaram collector Vivek Yadav said nine persons have died so far due to sunstroke in the district since April 1. “We are taking all possible measures to prevent deaths due to heatwave,” he added.
One person died of sunstroke in Visakhapatnam district so far, while Srikakulam DMHO Dr S Tirupathi Rao said only two sunstroke deaths have been reported in the district so far.
Speaking to TOI from Goa, Dr VSN Murthy, acting director of Dona Paula-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), said areas which are far from the coast generally record high maximum temperatures due to lack of sea breeze. “Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam have a vast coast compared to Vizianagaram. The soil condition also plays an important role. Red soil, sandy loams and sandy clay absorb heat,” he added. As many as five places in Krishna district recorded average temperatures of above 47 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon. The ongoing heat wave will continue till May 23 across AP and the public should stay indoors during the afternoon hours, cautioned Indian Meteorological Department. The temperature hovered around 41.6 degrees Celsius in Vijayawada. Registering an 8 degree Celsius jump, Bapatla’s average temperature stood at 46.2 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon. Similarly, Nellore and Ongole at 44.0 degrees Celsius and 45.8 degrees Celsius respectively, recorded a two degrees Celsius increase in temperatures from Thursday’s reading.
IMD has warned that the heat wave conditions will prevail in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema region on Saturday. In fact, the average temperate is set to be around 47 degrees Celsius in parts of AP during the afternoon hours. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Commissioner MV Seshagiri Babu has advised the public to avoid outdoor activities under the hot sun.
The extreme heat conditions have affected traffic accordingly. Bandar Road and Eluru Road were almost deserted in the afternoon. However, highway traffic was as usual. In the city, most people stayed indoors during the day. The district collector has already issued precautionary measures for the public, particularly children and elderly persons. It may be noted that more than 50 people have reportedly died due to heat strokes across Andhra Pradesh in the last two days. Government officials said the administration is working on a mechanism to record these deaths in the state, so as to analyse patterns and fine-tune precautionary measures. Meanwhile, IMD predicts thunderstorm and gusty winds in several parts of North Andhra region.