34.2 degree Celsius, the highest this summer, recorded on Thursday
Several busy junctions and roadways in the city on Thursday wore a deserted look due to rising mercury levels. The temperature recorded was 34.2 degree Celsius, the highest this summer with high relative humidity conditions.
Forming of mirages on bitumen roads, sultry and sweat-soaking dresses were the order of the day as Vijayawada witnessed high temperature.
The heat in Jawahar Auto Nagar, One Town area and Benz Circle was much more than others parts of the city due to higher humidity levels than normal, it was above 83 per cent, according to the Meteorological Department, Andhra Pradesh.
“Hot winds on the hills and hillside areas between noon to 2 p.m. are making us remain inside the home.
The two-hour power cut being implemented also leaves us with no option to beat the heat as fans and air coolers go non-functional” said Pidugu Sujatha, a resident of Mythri Nagar. Vehicular movement on the main roads including Besant Road, Control Room area, and Bandar Road was negligible in the afternoon and they wore a deserted look. Watermelon and coconut shops on the pavements across the city have mushroomed to cash in on the demand from the public in the scorching heat.
“Eating a piece of watermelon priced at Rs.5 or taking a coconut are some of ways to beat the heat and to maintain glucose levels in the body,” said Shiva Sai, a four-wheeler mechanic in Auto Nagar. Realizing huge demand from the public, the coconut vendors were having a field day in fixing the price of a coconut ranging from Rs.15 to Rs.20, but managed to get their stocks sold out by the evening.
Being one of the cities known for its extreme climatic conditions in the State, people in Vijayawada are gearing up to face the sweltering summer during next two and a half months.
