Telangana: 16 dead due to suspected heatstroke

AT to the lowest degree 16 people feature died due to suspected heat up apoplexy crossways seven districts in Telangana this summer season to date, while no deaths were reported in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh though 319 cases of sunstroke were reported in that state, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday.At a review meeting held by state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Saturday, the officials informed him about the deaths in seven districts.“Jayashankar Bhupalpally district reported four deaths, while Warangal Urban, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts recorded three deaths each. One death each was reported from Jogulamba Gadwal, Rangareddy and Suryapet districts,” an official statement from the minister’s office said.An official, however, said on condition of anonymity that unconfirmed reports from various districts indicated that 34 persons died of sunstroke till Friday. “However, the district authorities have not confirmed whether the deaths were precisely due to heatstroke,” the official said.The official statement said the state government had announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. The revenue minister directed officials to expedite the compensation process without delay.Srinivas Reddy said temperatures in the state had reached alarming levels due to the severe El Nino impact, leading to intensified heatwave conditions. He warned officials against any negligence in safeguarding public health and directed district administrations to identify mandals and villages recording extreme temperatures and issue advance warnings to residents.According to a weather bulletin from Telangana state development planning society, several places across 19 districts in the state recorded more than 45 degrees Celsius by 5 pm on Saturday with Dummugudem in Bhadradri Kothagudem district and Dharmapuri in Jagtial district registering the maximum temperature of 46.3 deg C, followed by 46.2 deg C in Dahegaon in Kumuram Bheem and Mothe in Suryapet district and 46.1 deg C in Khammam town and Tandur in Mancherial district.The remaining part of the state also witnessed temperatures ranging from 40 deg C to 45 deg C, according to the bulletin.Reddy instructed officials to maintain constant vigilance as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heatwave conditions are likely to worsen over the next three days. He directed district collectors to personally monitor heatwave conditions and ensure that officials from the mandal level to village-level field staff remain actively engaged on the ground.Emergency medical services were instructed to stay fully prepared to provide immediate treatment in cases of heatstroke symptoms.According to the latest IMD forecast, severe heatwave conditions are expected to continue until May 26 in Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubnagar, Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts. Collectors of these districts were directed to implement special precautionary measures.Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) managing director Prakhar Jain on Saturday also cautioned residents to remain alert as extreme temperatures persist across the state.He stated that on Saturday, Kanumolu in Krishna district recorded the highest temperature at 45.8 degrees Celsius, followed by Makavarapalem in Anakapalli district at 45.5 degrees Celsius. Temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius were recorded in 95 mandals spread across 13 districts.According to forecasts for Sunday, severe heatwave conditions are likely in 21 mandals, while heatwave conditions may affect 214 mandals across Andhra Pradesh.The authority predicted temperatures of 45 to 46 degrees Celsius in parts of Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, Prakasam and Nellore districts. Temperatures between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius are expected in several areas of Manyam, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Polavaram, Kakinada, Anakapalli, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and Tirupati districts.The state has reported 325 suspected heat stroke cases between March 1 and May 19, including 96 cases reported since May 1 alone, showing a sharp rise in heat-related illnesses this month. Despite the intense summer conditions, officials said no heatwave deaths have been officially recorded in the state so far this season.