Coastal people reel under heat wave as monsoon plays truant
People cover themselves with clotehs to protect themsevels from heat in Vijayawada on Saturday ( Hans photo Ch Venkata Mastan)
Vijayawada: People living in many parts of coastal Andhra are reeling under scorching heat as there is no sign of monsoon. People are desperately waiting for the arrival of monsoon as temperature levels are hovering between 38 to 48 degree Celsius in many parts of coastal Andhra. Elderly people, children, patients and others are bearing the brunt of heat wave. People are staying indoors due to severe heat and suffocation from 11 am to 5 pm. More than 11 days have passed in June but there is no hint of monsoon or clouds. Generally, monsoon arrives in second week of June in the state.
Citizens of Vijayawada are not new to harsh weather condition. But this time, heat and swelter are relentless till 10 pm now. More than 40 degrees Celsius temperature is being recorded during the day time for the past few days.
During the holidays like Sunday, people are staying home for the entire day avoiding going out from 11 am to evening 5 pm. Street vendors are reluctant to ply their trade in the afternoon.
NTR district, Krishna, Guntur, East and West Godavari, Eluru, Prakasam, Potti Sriramulu, Alluri Sitaramaraju district, BR Ambedkar Konaseema district recorded more than 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
On Saturday, Ibrahimpatnam of NTR district, Tanuku of West Godavari recorded 42 degrees Celsius. Kadiyam of East Godavari, Bapulapadu of Krishna district, Bheemadole of Eluru district, Marripudi of Prakasam district, Mangalagiri of Guntur district registered temperature of more than 41 degrees Celsius on Saturday. People are not able to sleep during the night due to heat. On the other hand, consumers are panicked with the high power bills due to usage of AC. Indian Metrological Department, Amaravati, has announced that South Western monsoon may extend further and will reach Andhra Pradesh in the next 48 hours. The IMD, Amaravati, in a press release on Saturday said that the atmosphere is favourable for the advancement of monsoon to coastal Andhra in the next 48 hours.