Even as the State government and the Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) are implementing the “heat wave action plan” in view of increasing summer heat, several people in the State are being affected by sunstroke.
The number of sunstroke cases registered across the State so far this season has already crossed the total number of sunstroke cases registered during the last summer season.
According to APSDMA, which is at the helm of heat wave impact mitigation, so far 346 cases of sunstroke (hospitalisation) have been reported by the authorities concerned of all the districts up to April 14. The highest number of sunstroke cases occurred in Kadapa district, where 143 cases were reported. It is followed by Guntur and Visakhapatnam districts that registered 84 and 41 cases respectively.
Last year, in the entire summer season, eight cases of sunstroke deaths were reported, and only 242 cases of hospitalisations due to sunstroke were reported, according to officials. So far the highest maximum temperature recorded in the State was 44 degrees Celsius at Gollavidipi of Prakasam district on April 14.
Heat wave
As per the reports, severe heat wave condition is predicted in two mandals and heat wave condition is predicted in 48 mandals of the State on Tuesday. Also, as per the Discomfort Index, 133 mandals will experience very hot weather on Tuesday.
Admitting that there was an increase in the number of sunstroke cases, APSDMA’s State Emergency Operation Centre in-charge S. Kishan said the government ws leaving no stone unturned to mitigate the impact of rising temperatures.\
He said that SDMA had for the first time prepared a heat wave atlas that consolidates the highest temperatures recorded in the state between 2010 and 2018 and marks vulnerable mandals also called as hot spots so that effective precautions could be taken.
“As per the atlas and heat wave forecast by India Meteorological Department, we have been alerting the local mandal revenue officers (MROs) on a daily basis and necessary support is provided,” Mr. Kishan said.
Mr. Kishan said that SDMA had so far conducted 42,000 heat wave awareness campaigns and distributed 3.27 lakh ORS packages besides setting up 11,107 water kiosks. As a precautionary measure 13,212 emergency shelters were arranged in schools, colleges and other buildings.
The government was also focussing on heat index which is a combination of high temperature and humidity that is usually found high in the coastal districts.
Published - April 16, 2019 12:43 am IST
