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The toll in the severe heat wave sweeping through Andhra Pradesh has mounted to 178, even as dry weather prevailed all over the state for the seventh consecutive day.
Confirming the toll, state Relief Commissioner D C Rosaiah told rediff.com on Tuesday evening that Guntur district alone accounted for the death of 84 persons on account of sunstroke and dehydration. West Godavari district came second with 44 deaths, followed by Khammam with 29, Visakhapatnam with 10, Adilabad six, Chittoor four and Karimnagar one. Official figures of the toll are yet to be received from 16 other districts, he said.
Rosaiah said all district collectors have been asked to give wide publicity to the "do's and don'ts" for people to observe to avoid further casualties. "We are advising the people in the affected areas to remain indoors between noon and 4pm. Those who venture out should cover their heads with a white cloth and take water with them," he added.
The relief commissioner said the district collectors have been empowered to disburse ex-gratia payment of Rs 50,000 each to those families of victims of sunstroke, which are living below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Meteorological Centre director C V V Bhadram said that dry weather prevailed all over the state on Tuesday, barring some rain in the temple town of Tirupati as well as light rain in Kakinada and Nuzvid towns in the coastal belt.
Severe heat wave conditions prevailed in the nine coastal districts and some of the north Telangana districts in the state. "The forecast is that heat wave conditions will prevail in the coastal districts in the next 24 hours and abate thereafter," Dr Bhadram said. "Barring one place, the heat wave is subsiding in the Telangana districts. Isolated rains at some places in coastal Andhra and light rains at a few places in Telangana are likely. The weather in the rest of the state will continue to be dry."
Oppressive heat wave conditions have been reported from almost all the coastal districts as well as from the north Telangana districts over the last few days. Temperatures in these places have ranged from 42 to 48 degrees Celsius on some days, as against the usual range of 40-45 degrees at this time of the year.
ALSO SEE: 37 feared dead in Orissa heat wave
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