State reels under intense heat

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh reeled under oppressive heat on Tuesday even as the Met department warned of an intense heat wave in the next three days with the mercury rising by 2-3 degrees across coastal and Rayalaseema regions.

Nandigama in Krishna district sizzled at 43 degree Celsius, while Anantapur (42.5), Vijayawada (42.3) and Kurnool (42.1) bore the brunt. The searing heat confined people to indoors for most part of the day, while the heat wave coupled with hot winds were a real test for Class X students taking the public examinations in the state, which commenced on Monday.

O S R Bhanu Kumar, professor in the department of meteorology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, said the prevailing heat conditions with signs of very high humidity signals the severe heat wave. To drive home his point, he cited the day's temperature in the port city on Tuesday. "Vizag recorded only 32.5 degrees, but people felt as if it was 41 degrees because of the high humidity," he said.

He warned that if the day's temperatures rise by 4-5 degrees constantly for next 4-5 days, it will be very harsh. Bhanu Kumar also hinted at high ultraviolent radiation this time round. "If it crosses 11 on the index scale, the phenomenon may prove fatal for children and the aged persons," he said.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the State Teachers' Union (STU) met R P Sisodia, principal secretary, school education, and Sandya Rani, director, school education, with a request to hold classes for VI, VII and VIII standard students from 6.45 am instead of 2 pm in the wake of intense heat wave. In view of the ongoing Class X exams, the education authorities had decided to run classes for these students from 2 pm to 5 pm, much to the discomfiture of the students.

STU president Katti Narasimha Reddy pointed out that the Class X students were being put to a lot of hardship in the last two days as many exam centres did not have even ceiling fans and drinking water. A student from Rajampet, Kadapa, fainted at the exam centre.