First heat wave death in four years in Tamil Nadu

The IMD, in its first ever summer advisory released earlier this year, said that the 2016 hot weather season (April-June) would witness warmer than normal temperatures in all the meteorological sub-divisions of the country. The advisory also predicted above normal heat wave conditions in many parts of India. 

Speaking to DT Next, a senior IMD official said that no heat wave death was recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in 2013, 2014 and 2015. “But this time all these states have recorded one casualty each till March, even before the actual hot weather season started,” he said. Though the country experiences severe heat waves in summer, casualties were abnormally high in 2015.

Most of the deaths were concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It may be noted that Andhra Pradesh alone accounted for a whopping 1,422 deaths, followed by Telangana with 584 deaths. 

The Ministry of Earth Sciences said, in a communiqué, that severe heat waves (SHW) were mainly experienced over north, northwest and central parts of the country. “Compared to the previous four decades, there was a noticeable increase in the heat waves/SHW days over the country during the recent decade 2001-2010, which is also the warmest decade for the country as well as for the globe,” the ministry informed. 

While the HW/SHW is an unknown phenomenon over IMD Thiruvananthapuram, the department has kept a few places in Kerala on heat wave alert in its ‘Heat Wave Watch’. 

According to studies, heat wave conditions lead to exhaustion, with experts  considering them to be the forerunner of heat stroke with the difference being that the neurologicalfunction remains intact. Heat exhaustion is marked by excessive dehydration and electrolyte (sodium and potassium salts) depletion or imbalance. 

The IMD in mid-April issued a heat wave alert for Tamil Nadu and the public was issued a cautionary advisory through the district collectorates.“IMD is also providing extended range forecasts, which consist of probability of occurrence of hot days, heat waves and severe heat waves for the next 15 days. This is updated every fifth day from April 1, 2016 onwards,” the official said and added that any abnormal conditions would be immediately communicated to the public.