Andhra Pradesh saw 723 deaths in the last four months due to the extreme heat wave conditions that the state faced.
PTI reported:
Replying to a question raised by Telugu Desam member Modugula Venugopala Reddy and others in the Assembly today, the Deputy Chief Minister, who handles the Home and Disaster Management portfolios, said the highest number of 238 heat wave deaths were reported in Chittoor district followed by 134 in East Godavari and 115 in Vizianagaram.
The report also quoted Rajappa as saying "Last year, 1369 deaths were reported due to heat wave. The toll was 448 in 2014 and 861 in 2013. A comprehensive heat wave action plan was adopted and being implemented in three phases from January. The government has undertaken an extensive awareness campaign on the precautionary measures to be followed by people."
Machilipatnam town in May registered a maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius against the normal of 37 degrees Celsius, the Met department said.
The coastal areas of Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, Koduru and Bantumilli Mandals also registered the maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius.
Vijayawada city, Nandigama, Jaggayyapet and Nuzvid towns registered a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius.
In May, as many as 300 heat-related deaths were reported in neighbouring Telangana since the beginning of the summer season in 2016.
"These deaths were confirmed by the three-member committee (set up by the state government to assess cases of deaths related to heat). Nalgonda district tops the chart with 90 deaths followed by Mahbubnagar with 44," an official in the disaster management control room had said.