Heat wave grips India, no dip in mercury (Roundup)

Many parts of India on Tuesday continued to reel under extreme heat wave conditions as the relentless mercury remained around a scorching 45 degrees Celsius.

The heat wave continued to wreak havoc across India -- and claiming the lives of 90 more people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana alone -- took the countrywide toll to over 800.

Looking at the deteriorating situation, the Andhra Pradesh government announced a compensation of Rs.1 lakh for the families of each of the victims.

The Hyderabad Meteorological Centre also warned that the heat wave may continue till Wednesday.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh continued to reel under severe heat wave conditions. Jangamaheswara Puram in Guntur district sizzled at 47 degrees, while most places in coastal Andhra recorded above 43 degrees temperature.

Parts of Rayalaseema also registered high temperatures. The relentless onslaught of heat had claimed 551 lives in the state till Monday.

In the national capital, the maximum temperature was recorded at 45 degrees Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department said the city will experience more of heat and dryness even if the temperature does not rise.

The maximum and the minimum temperatures on Wednesday were likely to hover around 44 and 27 degrees, respectively.

The situation in most of the areas of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh further deteriorated, as temperatures hovered around 45 degrees.

The heat wave threw life out of gear in places like Agra, Mathura and Firozabad where, along with the scorching heat, people also had to confront dust-laden hot winds.

Government hospitals reported a surge in the number of people suffering from heat stroke, dehydration and complaining of upset stomach.

"The streets are deserted since morning. Only after 6 p.m. do people venture out for darshan in the temples," said Madhu Mangal Shukla, a priest in Vrindavan.

In Firozabad, the rise in temperature on Tuesday forced people to stay indoors. Glass factories running on natural gas had to cut down on production as workers were unavailable.

The story in Agra was a bit different due to erratic power supply and water scarcity that brought people on to the streets.

Over 50 percent of villages in the district are facing acute water shortage and there is power outage lasting over 14 hours daily.

As transmission lines on the Agra-Firozabad Road are being shifted, there have been long power cuts in the city of the Taj.

The situation in the extreme north in the hills of Himachal Pradesh was the same as on Monday where it continued to sizzle.

Una recorded a maximum temperature of 40.6 degrees, while state capital Shimla saw a high of 29.3 degrees. Most of the towns saw high temperatures, despite overnight rain.

The intense heat wave continued unabated in Odisha, with the highest temperature in the state being recorded at 47.6 degrees Celsius in Titlagarh town.

The state government said four people have died due to sunstroke.

Reviewing the heat wave conditions, special relief commissioner G.V.V. Sarma said four people have died due to sunstroke. While two people died in Rayagada, one each died in Bargarh and Baleswar.

Eight cities in Odisha recorded maximum temperatures of above 45 degrees. State capital Bhubaneswar, however, registered a maximum of 39.8 degrees giving some respite from the blistering sun.

IMD Bhubaneswar director Sarat Chandra Sahu on Tuesday said temperatures in some parts of the coastal districts will come down by 2-3 degrees as there was a possibility of rain or thundershowers in these areas.

He, however, said rising temperature would continue in some parts of the state till the month-end.