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Lucknow, 21 May. At present, there is no sign of relief for the people of Uttar Pradesh who are facing extreme heat and heat wave. According to the Meteorological Department, severe heat and heat wave will continue in the entire state. For Purvanchal, the Meteorological Department has specifically issued a red alert on Thursday and advised people to be alert about their health and to come out of their homes or offices only for essential work from 11 am to 5 pm. The extreme heat of summer has badly affected normal life. Animals and birds are also suffering from the heat. As the day progresses, birds are hiding in the dense branches of trees, while the silence on the roads from morning to evening is a testament to the intense heat. To avoid heatstroke, people are using wet towels and mats as soon as they come out of the house.

Apart from this, the demand for cold drinks like lassi, buttermilk, mango panna, wood apple juice, sugarcane juice and many types of cold drinks has increased rapidly. People are feeling the need of these beverages at every hundred steps. Various measures are being taken to protect animals from heat in zoological parks and other protected wildlife areas. At some places, relief is being provided to the wild animals by providing coolers and at other places by sprinkling water. In view of the heat wave, municipal bodies in many districts have made arrangements to sprinkle water on roads and send tractor trolleys to drinking water tanks. In many areas including Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, reputed companies have allowed their employees to work from home.

The electricity department is shocked by the increase in electricity demand by almost one and a half times due to heat. Excessive use of air conditioners has made this problem more acute. To protect the transformers from overheating, unannounced power cuts are being made from morning to evening in most of the areas. The Meteorological Department has expressed the possibility of increase in temperature and heat wave even at night in entire Uttar Pradesh. On Wednesday, Banda remained the hottest district in the country for the fourth consecutive day where the maximum temperature was recorded at 48 degrees Celsius. In most of the districts of the state, the mercury was generally recorded four degrees above normal.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 46.4 degrees in Prayagraj, 46.2 degrees in Hamirpur, 45.9 degrees in Jhansi, 45.3 degrees in Agra and 45.2 degrees in Orai. Apart from this, the capital Lucknow scorched at 43.2 degrees Celsius while the day temperature in Kanpur was recorded at 44.6 degrees Celsius. In view of the harsh weather, classes up to class 12 have been postponed in most areas of the state. According to the forecast released by the Meteorological Department on Wednesday, the extreme heat and heat wave is likely to continue for the next five days.

The weather will remain mainly dry in both western and eastern parts of the state till May 24 and strong surface winds can blow at a speed of 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, whose gusts are likely to reach 40 kilometers per hour. According to the Meteorological Department, there is a possibility of severe heat wave (heat wave) in many districts of the state during the day time from May 20 to 24, while hot night conditions may also persist at many places. The department has issued a serious warning especially for many districts of Bundelkhand, Kanpur division, Agra division and Purvanchal.

The Meteorological Department has issued a warning of severe heat wave in many districts including Banda, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Agra, Mathura, Jhansi and Lalitpur. Along with this, there is a possibility of normal heat wave in many districts including Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Saharanpur, Meerut and Bulandshahr. Severe heat is expected to persist in the districts of Bundelkhand and Purvanchal on May 22 also. Severe heat wave may occur in many districts including Banda, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Jhansi and Mahoba, while the effect of heat wave will remain in areas like Deoria, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Aligarh.

The Meteorological Department has warned that due to the extreme heat, problems like heat rash, dehydration and heat stroke may increase in people of all age groups. Especially laborers, farmers, mining workers and people working in sunlight for long periods have been advised to be more careful. There is a possibility of adverse effect of heat on livestock and standing crops also. IMD has advised people to avoid exposure to sunlight during afternoon hours, wear light colored cotton clothes, take adequate amount of water and fluids and consume beverages like ORS, lassi, lemonade and buttermilk. Farmers have been asked to do light irrigation in the evening and adopt measures to maintain moisture in the fields.