Urban coastal Andhra reels under rising night heat

Visakhapatnam: The combination of climbing night temperature and relentless relative humidity is trapping parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh (CAP) in a worsening cycle of nighttime heat stress. The overall rise in the minimum temperature is disrupting people’s sleep and affecting their daily routine.The scorching summer heat has made life extremely difficult for people in CAP, with the region reeling under intense heatwave conditions. Apart from the heat wave conditions in the afternoon, the warmer nights also pose a health risk to people in CAP. The experts say indoor thermal exposure could be a bigger threat to people than exposure to heat outdoors during the daytime.According to the meteorological department, the minimum temperature at many coastal places in the state has been recorded between 29 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius for the past few days. The experts in the medical field say that the increasing heat at night is increasing problems like sleeplessness, allergies, fatigue, and irregular eating habits. Many parts of the CAP have recorded at least 2-4° Celsius above the normal temperatures during the night hours, coupled with high relative humidity, making life miserable during the night hours.The rise in night-time temperatures mostly happens in urban areas due to the urban heat island effect. The increasing high-rise residential complexes, roads, bricks and metal absorb the heat during the day and radiate it at night. The decline of green cover, water bodies, increasing vehicular pollution, and emitting hot air from the machinery are the major contributors to the heat island effect, said the weathermen.The recent night temperature indicates climate change because Vizag is relatively cooler during night hours. But these nights have been making life more difficult and are affecting our sleep-wave routines, said V Ganesh, a resident of Vizag. Many of my friends also complain of poor sleep and discomfort due to night heat, and the situation is worsening for those living in low and middle-income housing units, he added.