Heat Wave In India Results To Over 1,400 Deaths

Over 1,400 people have died due to the heat wave in India even as temperatures are expected to remain high in the next few days. Most of the deaths were recorded in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which had a short respite after light showers were noted in the states on Thursday.

However, India Meteorological Department director B.P. Yadav said high temperatures are expected to continue for no less than one week. May is considered among the hottest months in India as high temperatures are noted from April to June. The IMD declares a heat wave in India when seasonal average temperatures are higher by around six degrees Celsius.

The average daytime temperature in Andhra Pradesh during this time is from 42 to 44 degrees Celsius. This week, temperatures reached 47 degrees Celsius. Officials at Andhra Pradesh said heat-related problems resulted to the deaths of 1,020 people during the past week.

Lalitha Super Specialty Hospital attendant Venkateshwarlu at the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh said there was an increase in the number of people being admitted this year. Most of the people admitted were laborers, middle-aged women and old men. No less than 340 deaths due to heat stroke were recorded in Telangana, where temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius. People were advised by state authorities to stay indoors. Dehydration and heatstroke were the main causes of the deaths in the two states.

Andhra Pradesh disaster-management department special commissioner P. Tulsi Rani said they advised people to avoid going outside at the middle of the day. Rani also said people are advised to carry umbrellas to protect themselves against the heat of the sun. A number of water camps were set up by the department where people can get water and buttermilk for free.

Heat Wave Hits India - image credit: abcnews.go.com

Even as temperatures remain the same in all parts of the country, there were fewer deaths in other states. Forty-three deaths were reported in Orissa while 12 people died in West Bengal. Gujarat state officials revealed that seven deaths in Ahmedabad city were attributed to the heat wave in India.

While temperature in New Delhi reached 42 degrees Celsius on Thursday, officials have not given indications if the heat wave in India caused any deaths in the national capital. Increasing instances of heat waves were attributed to global climate change by the National Disaster Management Authority.

At least 1,300 deaths were recorded in Ahmedabad in 2003 as temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius, as shown on a study published by Ahmedabad Heat and Climate Study Group in 2014. The student group was formed following the 2003 heat wave in India.

Among the worst heat waves to hit India resulted to over 3,000 deaths in Andhra Pradesh in 2010 due to dehydration and heatstroke. The highest temperature in India was recorded in 1956 when temperatures reached 50.6 degrees Celsius in Alwar city, according to an Indian Geophysical Union report published in 2005.

The southern coastline of Kerala is expected to get some respite as seasonal monsoon rains start to arrive by May 30. However, the northern parts of the country will continue to suffer from the heat wave in India before the monsoon season brings in rain by June.

Posted by James Fried on Friday May 29 2015, 11:22 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0