The woes of Andhra Pradesh state did not go away with Cyclone Fani which affected 733 villages in the state, on May 5 it was under the grip of a severe heatwave. According to reports, the temperature in some parts of the state breached the 45 degree Celsius mark. As a matter of fact, the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) of Andhra Pradesh had said that of the 127 places noted, almost 57 places had temperature more than 45 degree Celsius on Sunday. The body has also asked the residents to avoid going out between 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm, the time when Sun rays are more intense.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which was engaged in understanding the “severe cyclone” Fani since its formation, on May 4 had issued a 3-day heatwave warning that will be in effect till 8.30 am on May 8. The IMD had earlier warned that districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, and Krishna to witness severe heat wave conditions during the stipulated time period.
Fani resulted in the heat wave
The meteorological observing body attributed the cause of heat wave to cyclone Fani. It said that the Fani which made its landfall in Odisha on May 3 morning after passing close to Andhra Pradesh took away the moisture content from the air, thus resulting in a sharp rise in mercury level across the state. Though the cyclone triggered heavy rains in few districts of the state such as Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Srikakulam, there was no respite for the people as the heatwave loomed over the state.
Areas suffered the most
Of the several other places seeing a stark rise in temperature, the city of Vijayawada saw the highest temperature of 45.6 degree Celsius, a 6.6 degrees rise than usual reported The News Minute. Polavaram in West Godavari district touched 45.5 degrees. In East Godavari, due to the sharp increase in temperature, a farmer couple died due to sunstroke in Tallarevu mandal. Towns such as Kakinada and Baptla too suffered from the heatwave, as the temperature rose to 42.6 and 43 degrees, rise by 6.7 and 6.2 degree Celsius respectively. Even the neighbouring state, Telangana could not get out of the clasp of the heatwave, as Khammam recorded temperature rise of 45.2 degrees. Temperature resorted to 44 degrees in Magonda, Ramagundam, and Bhadrachalam. Hyderabad recorded the lowest maximum temperature in Telangana at 41.5 degrees.
Earlier heatwave instances
Residents of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are not new to the heatwave, as both of these states suffered from one of the country’s worst heatwave 4 years ago. In 2015, the death toll of people due to heatwave crossed 2,000. As of now, the exact figure is not known. Between the summers of 2002-2003, the Telugu speaking states registered a death toll of 3,000.
The Logical Indian requests, residents of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to take precautions for the 3 days. We urge the residents not to step out of their residence in the afternoons. If it is utmost important, then carry an umbrella and water bottle with you. We advise people in the state to drink coconut water and sugarcane juice whenever possible.
Also Read: Ongoing Global Heatwave Is Setting All-time Hottest Temperature Records All Over
