Heat wave may continue till end of first week of June in parts of Andhra

In spite of May, one of the hottest summer months, coming to an end, it looks like temperatures are not likely to go down anytime soon in the Krishna and Vijayawada regions of Andhra Pradesh. On Wednesday, the Vijayawada office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a heat wave warning for the next two days to citizens in the region.

Speaking to TNM, Dr Nagaratna, scientist at IMD, said, “The Krishna and Vijayawada regions will see temperatures between 43 and 44 degrees Celsius for the coming week.”

When asked till when the high temperatures will last, she replied, “This trend will continue till the South West monsoon arrives in the state by June 5 or 6.”

For their part, district health officials too are on high alert due to the heat wave. Krishna district health centres and area PHCs were asked to accommodate sunstroke victims.

Speaking to TNM, District Medical and Health Officer T Padmaja said, “We have been taking several preventive steps, such as setting up instant health camps that provide ORS packets, and we will continue these till the end of the season.”

The DMHO said that the district health officials were also taking steps to tackle ailments that may occur due to the change in weather.

She added, “We are also ready with the required medicines to face certain seasonal diseases which may occur due to the change in weather.”

Vishakhapatnam, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts may also see temperatures between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius.

Dr Suresh of Praja Arogya Vedika recommended that people should avoid direct exposure to sunlight and to the heat. He said, “Drink a minimum of 5 litres of water every day and avoid cool drinks.”