A scorching heat wave that is currently raging through Telangana has reportedly taken the lives of more than 34 people, owing to extreme temperatures in several districts of Telangana rising to more than 46 degrees Celsius with Khammam emerging among the 10 hottest places in India on Friday. The mounting death toll follows a day after 22 people died across Telangana on Thursday, threby underscoring the escalating severity of the weather. The victims included elderly residents, students, farmers, agricultural labourers, and daily wage workers spanning more than a dozen districts.
In Mahabubabad district, three people lost their lives: Kesa Lachamma, 89, from Kotha Irsulapuram village; woman farmer Gugulothu Amrutha, 54, from Hanumannagar Thanda; and Gade Komuramma, 95, from Kalvala village in Kesamudram mandal. In Hanamkonda district, 25-year-old Gannoj Anil from Keshavapur village in Elkathurthi mandal reportedly died of sunstroke. Agricultural labourer Nampalli Sakkamma, 58, from Mogullapalli mandal in Bhupalpally district, and Dudapaka Pochayya, 60, a resident of Kazipet, also succumbed to the heat.
Mulugu district witnessed multiple deaths, including 85-year-old Madari Laxmi from Eturunagaram mandal and an unidentified woman, believed to be around 55 years old, who was found collapsed near the Mulugu bus stand. Yakoob Pasha, 45, from Bagirthipeta village in Regonda mandal, also lost his life. Among the youngest victims was 17-year-old Intermediate student Bommidi Venkatesh from Siripuram village in Nadigudem mandal of Suryapet district. Charlapalli Somaiah, 65, a hamali working at a paddy procurement centre in Tungaturthi, also died amid the oppressive conditions.
Other reported fatalities on Thursday included Beedimadla Ramulu, 70, from Munugode mandal in Nalgonda district; Cherukuri Rajalingam, 75, from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri; MD Chand Bee, 61, and Dasari Rajaiah, 62, from Old Mancherial; Kondareddy, 75, from Jogulamba Gadwal; Prabhakar Reddy, 50, from Medak; Poodari Srinivas, 48, from Jagtial; Ravulapalli Radhakrishna, 42, from Ramagundam; employment guarantee worker Pochayya, 60, from Gangadhara mandal in Karimnagar; Tipparaveni Kanakamma, 90, from Karimnagar; and Kothapalli Seetha, 51, from Khammam city.
On Friday, the heatwave intensified further, with Adilabad district recording the highest number of fatalities. Victims reported on Friday included Rajeshwar, 52, from Nizamabad district; Srinivas, 40, a mason from Jagtial district; Karne Lachayya, 85; Jadav Lathabai, 54; Aatram Ramu, 44; and Kova Kiran Kumar, 27, alongside several others from Adilabad. Additional deaths were reported from Peddapalli, Sangareddy, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Warangal, Mahabubabad, Nalgonda, and Khammam districts.
Many other places such as Jagtial, Karimnagar, Mancherial, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Sircilla, and Suryapet also had high temperatures of 46.2 degrees to 46.4 degrees Celsius. The nighttime temperature was also not cool due to the lower level of humidity that prevailed at night.
During an emergency review meeting with Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy at the Secretariat on Saturday, May 23, District Collectors confirmed 16 officially verified heatstroke-related deaths, for which a compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been announced. According to the collectors' reports, four deaths occurred in Jayashankar Bhupalapalli district, three each in Warangal Urban, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad districts, and one each in Jogulamba Gadwal, Rangareddy, and Suryapet districts.
As the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave warning extending until the 26th of this month, the minister instructed the government machinery to remain highly vigilant. Officials have been asked to identify the mandals and villages recording the highest temperatures and issue targeted warnings to residents via the media, social media, and village-level announcements.
In addition, he instructed that drinking water, buttermilk, and packets of ORS be distributed at bus stops, markets, important road junctions, and places where there is hard labour. He advised the elders, pregnant ladies, and children, as well as people who have any kind of illness, to remain indoor from 11 am to 4 pm.
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