It seems that the sun’s anger with Gujarat is not over yet as most parts of the state including Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar are witnessing extreme temperatures and reeling under severe heat wave condition.
Ahmedabad sizzled at 45 degrees Celsius yesterday, at 46.9 °C today and this extreme heat wave condition in the city is likely to prevail till Saturday. It is for the same reason that Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued a red alert yesterday for two days cautioning the citizens to stay indoors to avoid any heat stroke.
As per the weather analysts, this is the second hottest summers in Ahmedabad in the past decade. Earlier, it was on May 22, 2010, when the city recorded a severe heat wave with the temperature touching 46.8 degrees Celsius and killing nearly 50 people. In fact, on that day, an average 200 people were also hospitalised or given emergency treatment for heat stroke and other related illnesses. The weather officials dread the same condition for the next two days.
Also Read: Hottest day in Ahmedabad in ten years
Not only in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, but the mercury levels in many parts of the state like Vadodara, Deesa, Surendranagar, Kutch and Rajkot are hovering between 43 and 45 degrees Celsius during the day.
As per the predictions from Skymet weather, maximum temperature in Ahmedabad and other parts will remain between 45-48 degrees Celsius till Saturday. Temperature may drop slightly i.e., come down by two to three degrees, only after May 21 but until then no respite from the heat can be expected.
Effects of heatwave
As per the data of 108 Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), as many as 2,810 cases of heat-related emergencies were reported in the city from May 1 to 16, 2016. Civic authorities claim that two lives have also ended due to the heat stroke.
It is expected that the cases of medical emergencies will be on the rise in the next two days due to mercury levels shooting very high. Since the heat wave condition will continue to prevail till Saturday, civic authorities have issued an advisory for the citizens, asking them to take all the precautions in order to avoid getting affected from the heatwave.
Image Credit: thequint.com
