The mercury is rising and southern and central India are bearing the brunt of the heat wave.
"The temperature is close to 45 degrees. Earlier it used to be 38-39 degrees during the same time. The temperatures are soaring every passing year," said a Bhubaneshwar resident.
Death toll due to heat wave in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha has already crossed 110 and there is no respite in sight with the MET department predicting even higher temperatures in the next 2 days.
The two states usually have temperatures above 40, but this time they have come a little early. Temperatures have been above the normal level from March onwards, catching the administration on the wrong foot.
The Telangana government has introduced several measures to tackle the situation
1. It advanced school timings to 8 am and has now advanced the summer vacation by a week, closing schools on Wednesday itself
2. People have been advised to stay indoors between 12 pm and 5 pm.
3. Temporary shelters are being built in cities in addition to providing drinking water and butter milk.
4. The state govt is also holding medical camps all over the state
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had recorded the highest number of heat wave deaths in 2015. While 1,700 died in Andhra Pradesh, over 500 deaths were reported in Telangana. This year 45 people have already died in Andhra, and 35 in Telangana.
However, the worst is yet to come as the weathermen are expecting the temperature to touch 47 degrees in the coming days.
Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, a city that prides itself for its pleasant weather, six of its highest temperatures for each month have come after the year 2000.
Highest Temperatures Ever (Monthly)
January:32.8 in 2000
February:35.9 in 2005
June:38.1 in 2003
October:32.4 in 2002
November:31.7 in 2002
December:31.1 in 2003
"Bangalore is becoming too much worse these days because of urbanization. They are cutting trees but not regrowing it and because of that it is too much hot," said a Bengaluru resident
This week, social media was abuzz with claims that the city had entered the 40 degree club but the meteorological department has denied the news.
Bengaluru may be yet to strike 40, but India has hit the 50 mark four times in the past, the highest at 50.6 in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 1956.
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