Hyderabad: India Meteorological Department on Thursday issued a severe heat alert for 11 districts in Telangana after heatwave conditions claimed 17 lives across the state in a single day.
The weather department advised people in Asifabad, Mancherial, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet and Nagarkurnool districts to avoid outdoor activities unless necessary.
Temperatures rose sharply across Telangana during the day. Officials reported multiple heatstroke deaths from different districts. Four people each died in the erstwhile Nalgonda and Warangal districts. Karimnagar recorded three deaths, while Adilabad, Mahabubnagar and Khammam districts reported two deaths each.
Mutharam in Peddapalli district and Munagala in Suryapet district recorded the highest temperature of 46.5 degrees Celsius. In addition, several other areas across the state registered temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius.
Authorities urged residents to remain hydrated and avoid direct exposure to the sun during afternoon hours. Health officials also advised elderly people, children and outdoor workers to take extra precautions amid continuing heatwave conditions.
Severe heat alert issued amid fires and weather damage
The extreme weather also triggered several fire accidents and crop losses in different districts. A farmer identified as Noone Munthala Sattaiah, 72, died after getting trapped in flames while burning paddy residue in Shaligouraram mandal of Nalgonda district.
Meanwhile, fires damaged crops spread across hundreds of acres in Mahabubabad and Jangaon districts. In Hyderabad’s Old City, a fire accident at a clothing store caused property losses estimated at nearly Rs 2 crore.
The intense heat further affected poultry farms in Rangareddy and Khammam districts. According to officials, hundreds of chickens died because of high temperatures.
However, the IMD predicted thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in Kothagudem, Khammam, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy and Mahabubnagar districts. Officials said weather conditions could change in some regions during the next 24 hours.
Authorities advised people to stay alert as Telangana continued to face severe heatwave conditions along with the possibility of unseasonal rainfall.
