Heatwave Takes Heavy Toll Across India, AP Most Effected

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) department, the heatwave conditions in the country have cost the lives of 36 people, most of them in Andhra Pradesh.

In 2018, the nation-wide toll was 25. An NDMA official informed that the state-wide statistics are being finalized but it has been confirmed that the maximum deaths were registered in Andhra Pradesh.

As per the stats, a place such as Churu, where the temperature crossed the 50 degrees Celsius mark didn't register even a single death owing to the heatwave but eastern Rajasthan recorded several deaths.

It is believed that the humidity has also contributed to the rising temperatures. Elaborating on the phenomena, Anup Kumar Srivastava, consultant with NDMA was quoted saying to a news agency, "If in a district in Andhra Pradesh, the temperature has crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark and in places like Churu where the mercury has risen beyond 50°Celsius, the AP district would be more affected."

He further said that the overall comfortable index is higher than a person in the AP is used to experiencing due to the humidity in the state reaching up to 80-90 percent causing the people to feel that the temperatures are more than 70 degree Celsius. While this falls true for most of the coastal states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, the humidity in Churu is around 10 to 15 percent which didn't cause any larger impact.

In 2017, heatwave deaths significantly reduced to 29 from 1,111 in 2016 due to rising temperatures.

The World Health Organization has given clear suggestions in their guidelines the dos and don’ts during these heatwave conditions:

- Keep the body cool and hydrated.

- Utilize cool packs and wraps, towels, sponging, foot baths, etc.

- Take cool showers or baths.

- Avoid heat accumulation by using light bed linen and sheets without any cushions

- Avoid alcohol and too much caffeine and sugar.

- Include small meals in your daily schedule and avoid foods which are high in protein.

- Keep your living space cool. Ensure the room temperatures are kept below 32°C during the day and 24°C during the night. Particularly, for infants or people aged above 60 years or have chronic health conditions.

- Keep medicines in conditions below 25°C or in the refrigerator, as per the storage information provided on the packaging.

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