Indiscriminate felling of age old trees for road widening is said to be the main reason for the increase of temperature every year in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts.
The temperature crossed 35 degrees Celsius in the last week of April in Vizianagaram district. The situation is likely to be better with the impact of cyclone for a few days, but the scorching sun is likely to test the patience of people in the days to come in May and the first fortnight of June.
Over 60 people died of heat wave in the two districts last year. So far about 10 deaths have been reported this year.
Barren roads
With the widening of both national highway and state highways in the two districts, thousands of trees were cut. One cannot find a single tree between Rajapulova junction and Vizianagaram, where road widening took place a year ago. The same is the situation between Narasannapeta and Patapatnam. People can’t find trees within Srikakulam and Vizianagaram urban areas with the widening of roads in the two towns. This is the main factor for the increase of temperatures in towns as well as other parts of the districts.
There is an obligation on the part of contractors to develop greenery after road widening, but it is hardly done and monitored by the authorities concerned. In fact, forest cover is already less in the two districts compared with the neighbouring Visakhapatnam district. Vizianagaram and Srikakulam have only 18% forest cover and it is around 30% in Visakhapatnam district.
Vizianagaram District Forest Officer G. Lakshman said the department was striving to improve greenery. He claimed the forest cover had improved from 17% to 18% with new initiatives and it was confirmed by the Forest Survey of India. "Around one crore saplings have been planted in 2018. New action plan will be ready for the ensuing rainy season. We will involve schools, colleges, non-governmental organisations to achieve the goal," he added.
The Indian Red Cross Society and other voluntary organisations have taken up awareness programmes over the precautions to be taken to protect one from the scorching sun and heat wave (in pic) . IRCS Srikakulam chairman P. Jaganmohana Rao said volunteers of the organisations were providing quick medical aid to the patients affected by the heatwave.
