Heatwave grips Gujarat with mercury rising above 44 degrees Celsius over the last several days. Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar recorded the season’s highest temperature of 44.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
“Heatwave prevailed in most parts of the State as weather remained dry during the day with most cities, except those in the coastal region, recording the maximum temperatures in the range of 40 to 44 degrees Celsius,” a Met department release said.
The State government and the civic authorities have urged people to take precautionary measures and remain indoors between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.. “The Met department has issued a ‘red alert’ suggesting extreme heatwave for the next five days. So public is advised to avoid venturing out in the afternoon and take plenty of water and fluids,” a State government press release said.
According to the weatherman, heatwave will remain as the temperature is likely to go up in the coming days.
“As per our forecast, there will be no change in heatwave for the next two days. Mercury may touch 45 degrees Celsius on Sunday. We may see a slight decrease in the maximum temperature only after Sunday,” said Manorama Mohanty, assistant director of Met centre. “Ahmedabad today recorded its highest temperature of the season with 44.6 degrees Celsius, which is almost one degree more than yesterday’s.”
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad-based All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), checking the city’s preparedness to tackle heatwave, found that the heatwave action plan has even covered low-income areas like Khokhra and Ghatlodia.
“We have found that a large number of workers on the roads have changed working hours by starting off early, taking a break mid-day, and closing late in the evening. The availability of drinking water in public places by the authorities and charity trusts has made a difference,” a report prepared by the AIDMI said.
Ahmedabad is the only city among the smart cities identified by the Central government to have a heatwave action plan for over four years and Bhubaneshwar joined this year with an action plan.
