India Intense heat wave has killed more than 1800

The death toll from the severe heat wave that
has gripped India over the past week climbed to

more than 1,800 on Friday even as sporadic rain
showers brought relief in some states.

Daytime temperatures that had been hitting up
to 47 degrees Celsius (117 Fahrenheit) earlier
this week in the states of Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana in south India, dropped to normal
average temperatures for the time of year.

At its hottest on Friday, Andhra Pradesh was
around 42 degrees Celsius (104 degrees
Fahrenheit) and Telangana peaked at 41
degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Heat wave conditions have “fallen down
significantly as clouds formed over some
parts,” on Friday, said Y.K. Reddy, the top
meteorological officer in Andhra Pradesh.

He said there is a “forecast of pre-monsoon
rains” later Friday and Saturday, which would
help “cool down temperatures further.”
Officials in the state said 1,334 people have
died from heat-related problems there in the
past week.

In the neighboring state of Telangana, where
440 have died in the heat in the past week, the
daytime temperature dropped to between 39
degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) and
41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit)
Friday, thanks to sporadic overnight rains.

“The light drizzle has eased the blistering heat
wave,” B.R. Meena, a top Telangana state
official told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
In other parts of the country, high
temperatures ranging between 44 degrees
Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) and 46
degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit)
continued to prevail with 43 deaths recorded in
the eastern state of Orissa, 12 heat-induced
fatalities in West Bengal and seven in the
Ahmedabad city in the western city of Gujarat,
according to state officials. Most of the
deaths happened due to heat stroke and
dehydration.

State officials have been advising citizens to
stay indoors during day time, drink lots of
water, use an umbrella and keep their heads
and bodies covered to avoid sunstroke.

Hospitals have been put on alert to deal with
emergency situations. The majority of the
casualties have been homeless people or day
laborers, among the poorest in society.
India’s meteorological department director
B.P. Yadav predicted the heat wave would
continue over the weekend but might “slow
down Monday onwards” when the seasonal
monsoon rains are expected to hit the southern
coastline of Kerala.

Still, it will still be several weeks before the
rains reach the parched northern parts of the
country. The monsoon starts in June and the
rains gradually cover the entire country by
September.