Hyderabad, April 19: At least 65 people have died in Andhra Pradesh’s heat wave, with temperatures rising to 48 degrees Celsius in weather conditions partly blamed on a government irrigation plan that has led to tree felling.
Officials said most of the victims were the aged, children and the homeless living in bus shelters and other public places. Unofficial reports put the toll at 95, with confirmation of all deaths in the districts yet to be received.
The heat wave has been worsened by a blast from Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region in the north, though meteorologists say some respite could come from rain expected in the next few days.
The maximum temperature so far, 48 degrees Celsius, was recorded last week in Kothagudem, a coal belt in Khammam district. In East Godavari’s Gannavaran, the mercury hit 47.5 degrees Celsius. Day-time temperatures have ranged from 40 to 43 degrees Celsius in Hyderabad, Rajahmundry,Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Vijayawada.
“We have an early heat wave this year and the mercury has been on the rise since the first week of April,” said a meteorologist with the Visakhapatnam cyclone warning centre who has been tracking the killer hot spell.
But, the mercury misery is being blamed, ironically, on Jalayagnam, the Congress government’s ambitious irrigation plan being implemented at a cost of Rs 45,000 crore with the aim of improving the lives of farmers.
Environmentalists and social activists say trees have been felled in reserve forests and other areas an estimated 2.8 lakh acres have been cleared to make way for the network of canals, dams and reservoirs being built under the plan. This, the environmentalists say, creates conditions where heat increases and rain becomes scarce.
Chief minister K. Rosaiah reviewed the situation soon after his return from Delhi yesterday.
He directed officials to provide top priority to supply of drinking water in all areas, especially to the poor who have been facing the brunt of the heat. District collectors have been told to release funds for the purpose immediately.
-Agencies