Gujarat is under the grip of heatwave with the mercury touching above 44 degree Celsius for the past few days. Ahmedabad and State capital Gandhinagar have recorded the season’s highest temperature of 44.6 Celsius on Saturday.
“Heatwave conditions prevailed in most parts of Gujarat as weather remained dry during the day with most cities, except those in the coastal region, recording maximum temperatures in the range of 40 to 44 degrees Celsius,” the Meteorological department said.
Alert issuedThe authorities have issued an alert asking people to take precautionary measures and remain indoors during the day.
“The Met department has issued a ‘Red Alert’ suggesting extreme heatwave for the next five days, so people are advised to take plenty of water and fluids,” a State government release said.
“The mercury may touch 45 degrees Celsius on Sunday. We may see slight decrease in the maximum temperature only after Sunday,” Assistant Director of the Met Centre Manorama Mohanty said.
Heatwave preparednessMeanwhile, the Ahmedabad-based All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has said the heatwave action plan had reached low-income areas such as Khokhra and Ghatlodia this year.
“We have found that casual workers on the streets have changed working hours by starting early, taking break midday and closing late in the evening; and drinking water made available in public places by the authorities and charity trusts has made a difference,” a report by the AIDMI said.
Ahmedabad is the only city among Smart Cities identified by the Centre to have a heatwave action plan for over 4 years and now Odisha capital Bhubaneswar has joined the list.
