India reels under Heatwave as Mercury travels North
New Delhi, May 25 (IANS): India continued to reel under heatwave conditions on Monday with the day-temperature soaring to 47 degrees Celsius in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur. The death toll in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana rose to 517 with more people succumbing to heat stroke.
Delhi recorded the season’s highest temperature at 45.5 degrees Celsius — five notches above the season’s average.
However, amid the extremely hot weather conditions in and around the national capital, it drizzled briefly in some parts of Delhi and the NCR, but this failed to provide any appreciable respite from the sweltering heat.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that while the temperature of Delhi and its neighbouring areas will not cross 45 degrees, they also did not offer any possibility of relief in the immediate future.
In Uttar Pradesh, the sweltering heat was set to break all past records in the state as the day temperature touched 45 degrees Celsius. The hottest day in the past decade was May 26, 2005, when the maximum temperature registered 44.7 degrees Celsius.
The regional meteorological department said there will not be any respite from the dry heat and the conditions are likely to persist during the next week.
Himachal Pradesh experienced intense heatwave with temperatures recording 40 degrees Celsius, three degrees above the season’s average. However, in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir the weather remained relatively chilly with intermittent rain since Saturday that brought down the temperature considerably.
The situation in the country’s financial capital Mumbai was comparatively better, but the temperature hovered around 36.2 degrees Celsius, confining people to their homes or offices during the peak afternoon hours.
However, the mercury soared higher in other parts of Maharashtra — 47 degrees Celsius in Chandrapur, 45 degrees in Nagpur and 44 degrees in Wardha.
In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the heat wave has killed 517 people till Monday as the temperature in many places in the states soared above 45 degrees Celsius.
According to the Hyderabad Meteorological Centre, Hanamkonda in Telangana on Monday recorded a maximum temperature of 46 degrees Celsius.
Most of the towns in Telangana, including capital Hyderabad, recorded a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, too, continued to sizzle. Kakinada, Machilipatnam and Tuni recorded highest temperatures of 47 degrees.
South coastal districts of Krishna, Prakasham, Guntur and Nellore bore the brunt. They account for the maximum number of deaths.
The meteorologists have attributed the heatwave to the dry winds blowing from the north-westerly direction.
The met centre has warned that the heatwave conditions may continue for next couple of days.
In neighbouring Odisha, the intense heatwave continued to sweep most parts of the state with the industrial town of Angul, at 47 degrees Celsius, recording the highest temperature in the state.
An official in the state’s special relief commissioner’s office said the toll in the state due to sunstroke remained at five.
People stayed indoors in most places during peak hours. Roads wore a deserted look, while private and government offices in some places saw thin attendance.
The maximum and the minimum temperatures on Tuesday in the national capital were likely to be around 45 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively.
As temperatures continue to soar, the IMD has urged people to take necessary precautions to prevent any health hazard caused by the heatwave.