Heat Wave sweeps Telangana, death toll increases.
According to officials in the disaster management department the reports of deaths due to sun stroke continued to pour in from different parts of the state and most districts in Telangana has recorded a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius or more and it was reported that the death toll from a heat wave sweeping Telangana rose to 143 on Friday as six more deaths.
The Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the district collectors and other officials to take all steps to prevent deaths due to the heat wave and the heat wave conditions have aggravated the situation created by the second successive drought in the state, triggered drinking water scarcity and led to a further fall in ground water table.
In neighboring Andhra Pradesh the day temperatures rose at one or two places in coastal Andhra and the heat wave has also persisted in Rayalaseema, Jangamaheswarapuram has sizzled at 44.4 degrees Celsius, Anantapur was hit by 43.8 degrees and Kurnool 43.5 degrees.
The officials by early this month had put at 45 the deaths due to the heat wave, but however the death toll was not revised later which is being attributed to the delay in setting up a three-member committees of officials at district level to confirm if the deaths are due to heat wave or not.