For the first time in the recorded history of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed heatwaves in the State with the sizzling summer giving many parts of Kerala fiery days, exacerbating the health issues and lingering impact of an extended drought in many places.
The State recorded the second-highest temperature since 1901 on Saturday with Palakkad recording 41.8 ° C, around 5.5 ° C higher than the normal temperature in the region. 41.9 ° C recorded in 2016 in Palakkad was the highest ever recorded temperature since the IMD started keeping logbooks in 1901.
Speaking to The Hindu, P.S. Biju, a senior scientist with the IMD said at least two weather stations in the State should satisfy the criteria of a temperature above 40 °C and a departure of 4.5 ° C from normal temperatures for issuing heatwaves. “The observatories in Palakkad, both manual and automatic, continue to record above 40° C. Since two stations satisfied the criteria, the heatwave was confirmed,” said Mr. Biju.
Spike seen
The number of heat-related health issues being reported across the State has also seen a spike, with the State reporting around 413 cases, including sunburn, rashes, and heatstroke cases, until April 22. However, the actual number would be quite high as the majority of cases often go unreported, said Sekhar Kuriakose, member-secretary, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). Further, there would be a systemic delay in consolidating the number of whole incidents through various agencies.
When the State witnessed the highest ever temperature of 41.9 ° C in 2016, the number of heat-related cases reported was 324, including 10 deaths between March and May. However, 2019 recorded more heat-related health cases, although the deaths were limited to one. With unusually high moisture in the air, the heat index (feel-like temperature) is really giving jitters to the residents of the State.
“Taking precautions and avoiding direct exposure to the sun during peak hours of the day is the best way to avoid health complications,” said Jazeela A., hazard analyst (public health), KSDMA, adding that among the various heat-related issues, heatstroke is more lethal as the mortality rate among the heatstroke cases is about 45%.
Summer showers
Even as swathes of Palakkad, Kollam, and Thrissur continued to swelter in heatwave conditions, the sources in the IMD said there would be some relief from Monday as summer showers are likely, which is expected to bring the temperature down at least a couple of notches, and the heatwave may disappear due to the rain. However, Kerala will have to wait at least the second half of May to get widespread rains across the State, they say.
