New Delhi: A brutal heatwave sweeping across Telangana has tragically claimed 16 lives, forcing the state government into emergency mode. Temperatures
have shattered records as they reached breaching the 45-degree Celsius mark in more than half of the state’s districts.
In response to the crisis, the state government has announced a financial assistance package of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives.
The casualties have been officially confirmed across seven districts following reports sent in by local collectors. Jayashankar Bhupalpally district was hit the hardest, reporting four deaths.
Meanwhile, Warangal Urban, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad registered three fatalities each with Jogulamba Gadwal, Ranga Reddy and Suryapet recording one death each.
The local officials point to a severe El Niño effect as the primary reason behind these unprecedented, blistering conditions.
As per reports on Saturday, alone 18 out of the state’s 33 districts recorded peak temperatures touching or crossing 45 degrees Celsius. Sirpur in the Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district emerged as the hottest area, recording a scorching maximum temperature of 46.5 degrees Celsius.
Government deploys field teams and issues urgent alerts
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy held an emergency review meeting with senior officials at the Secretariat to assess the situation. He directed the entire state administrative machinery to stay on high alert and treat public safety as their topmost priority. Government employees, from the mandal down to the village level, have been ordered into the field to coordinate relief measures.
The minister also instructed authorities to identify the specific villages and mandals suffering from the highest temperatures so targeted warnings can be pushed out hourly via social media, news outlets, and village announcements. To help the public cope with the intense weather, local administrations have been told to set up distribution points for drinking water, buttermilk, and ORS packets at busy public places like markets bus stations, and major roads where outdoor labourers gather.
Strict warnings ahead as IMD issues orange and yellow alerts
With the India Meteorological Department warning that the extreme heat will intensify over the next three days, the government has urged vulnerable groups including senior citizens, pregnant women, children, and those with underlying health conditions to stay indoors between 11 am and 4 pm.
According to theIMD, severe heat conditions are expected to persist until May 26, particularly affecting areas like Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubnagar, Hyderabad, and Ranga Reddy. The IMD has placed several of these northern and eastern districts under an orange alert.
The weather department also noted that isolated areas in districts like Nalgonda, Hyderabad, and Rangareddy might experience sudden thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kmph alongside the prevailing heat.
