‘92% of heat deaths in Andhra region’

Heatwaves in the country are turning out to be particularly deadly with over 4,620 recorded deaths caused by the severe weather condition in the last four years.

Of that figure, a whopping 4,246 people died in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana alone.

According to the ministry of earth sciences, in 2016, nearly 1,600 people died due to erratic weather conditions, of which 557 casualties were to severe heatwave. 2015 witnessed 2,081 deaths due to severe heatwave while 549 people died in 2014.

In 2013, the severe heatwave conditions killed 1,443 people, of which the unified Andhra Pradesh state registered 1,393 casualties.

The figures, however, are larger across the country as causes other than the direct reasons like heat stroke and dehydration are seldom accounted for, said Dileep Mavlankar, director of Gandhinagar-based Indian Institute of Public Health that has been working with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on a heatwave action plan.

“For instance, dehydration also leads to respiratory and renal failure, especially for those who are prone to heart and kidney ailments. Infants and the elderly top the list in casualties,” he said.

“In 2010, Ahmedabad recorded 65 deaths due to heatwave, but in the same period, there were 800 more deaths,” Malvalankar said.

Since last year IMD has started issuing heatwave alerts. A heat wave is declared when the temperature crosses 45 degrees Celsius.

If the temperature rises 4 to 5 degrees above normal, then the condition is termed as a ‘heatwave’.