Demand for fruits rises as temperatures soar

With the day time temperatures rising across the state, fruits like watermelon are such in demand. Meanwhile, people living in the interiors are struggling to cope with water shortage.

Adilabad is experiencing day time temperatures between 30° C to 40° C, forcing the people to confine themselves indoors, especially in the afternoons. 

Markets are dotted with the fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, grapes, coconut, sapota, orange and sugarcane and traders are doing brisk business. Middlemen are also making brisk business with the leafy vegetables in the local markets.

Sugarcane juice is the flavor of the season and man care crushing centers have sprung up in Adilabad town. Needless to say, business is good. Farmers have taken to watermelon cultivation in Adilabad and Kumarambheem Asifabad districts and fruit vendors are also importing them from bordering Maharashtra. Water-based fruits are preferred t overcome dehydration, a major cause for worry during the summers.  .

Dr Naitham Sumalatha, MD, a general physician in Adilabad towns said that people must take more liquids and sufficient water to avoid electrolytes imbalance in the body and dehydration caused by hot weather conditions. She said that cotton clothes help in keeping the body cool.

She said that people complain of headache and fall sick with sunstroke when exposed to blistering heat for a sustained period of time.

     

Doctors advised the people to cover the head with cloth for protection against  heatwaves and dehydration and take more water at the regular intervals  to remain hydrated and keep primary medical kits on hand for people working under the hot sun. Students writing their examinations must take extra precautions  to avoid sunstroke and dehydration.

Electricians in demand as summer sets in

The heat of summer- and depleted ground water tables- have given the electrician's  trade much revived scope, what with the people desperate to get their electrical appliances, such as agriculture motors, ceiling fans, bore well motors, pump sets and coolers, in good working condition.  

With temperatures already soaring in Adilabad district, people are preparing to arm themselves suitably with cooling devices that function properly.

Electricians, in turn, are taking undue advantage of the situation by charging exorbitant rates for repair even as people from surrounding areas and villages queue up in front of the electrical and electronics stores with goods needing attention.

Tirumala Electrical and Electronics shop owner P. Santosh said that many people were bringing in damaged electronic items for repair and that he could hardly finish repairing three agriculture motors or pump sets.

There is also good demand for low cost new coolers being sold locally as middle class people prefer them against the branded ones.

Dry tanks add to heat in Telangana

Forest animals are struggling to quench their thirst as streams and rivulets have dried up and water has evaporated from all the water bodies due to soaring temperatures in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

The forest staff has failed to create additional drinking water sources for them. Forest animals especially herbivores are straying into villages in search of water and fall prey to poachers even in Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) during the summer.

Some of the solar pump sets set up in the identified places to provide drinking water to the forest animals were defunct as water motors are not functioning and unidentified persons had stolen the water pipelines in the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve.

A field level worker said, the saucer wells meant for the forest animals received water for a brief spell but the water has evaporated within no time due to high temperatures. 

However, there was some greenery in the forest due to unexpected rains that struck the district recently and this is helpful for the herbivores.

Forest officials have to fill the saucer wells with water to quench the thirst of the forest animals on a regular basis but there has been no activity there..

Forest animals have no opportunity to cool their body with the water in the summer due to dry streams and rivulets in the forests. The deep trenches with fencing separating the reserve forest and villages at some points to restrict the entry of the vehicles and people into forests and wood smuggling has proved costly  to the forest animals as they cannot cross the trenches for water.

                                                                                                         ( May 28, 2015)