Heat wave continues to grip various parts of country

The heat wave continued to grip various parts of the country on Sunday with many cities including the national capital facing temperatures above 40 degrees. People from different sections of society adopted different measures to tackle the rise in temperature.

In the early days of June itself, the heat has started to take a toll on the people of Lucknow where the temperature hovers around 40 degrees.

"It is only due to the trees that you can stand here. We drink lemon juice, sugarcane juice and eat ice creams to bear with the heat. Other than that we carry umbrellas," Mohammad Zaheer a resident of Lucknow said.

Ashutosh Dubey, Medical Superintendent, Lucknow Civil Hospital, said: "The Chief Minister has directed the doctors of the entire state to take the issues related to heat wave very seriously."

The Medical Superintendent advised the people to "Preferably leave the house from 10 to 11 in the morning and 4 to 5 in the evening."

"People are prone to cases of heat stroke, sunburn, skin allergy, diarrhoea during such times. Only clean food and drinks should be consumed from outside," he further added.

People from Nagpur in Maharashtra were seen donned with 'Dupppatas' (long scarf) and handkerchiefs on their faces to save themselves from the intense heat.

"A lot of people are falling sick due to the heat wave conditions prevalent here. Business here is also falling due to the weather as people do not prefer to come out," Rohit Badwal, a resident of Nagpur said.

Not only this, the farmers of Gorakhpur are facing a huge shortage of water due to the heatwave conditions.

Dhirendra Pratap Singh, a farmer from Gorakhpur area said: "There is a shortage of water to irrigate the fields. The crops in the fields have been destroyed due to scanty rainfall. Preparation for further cultivation is also being affected due to the heat wave conditions."

Apart from this, the IMD had issued a "red alert" for Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi, with a severe heat wave expected in the next couple of days.

A heat wave is usually declared when the maximum temperature remains above 45 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days.