Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 2
Mercury maintained an upward trend in the city today along with a heavy dust storm forcing residents to remain indoor.
High humidity levels during the morning hours also caused a lot of inconvenience to residents of the region.
As per the Agri-Met Department of the PAU Regional Centre in Bathinda, the maximum temperature recorded was 44.2°C and the minimum temperature was recorded at 20.6°C. This is the highest maximum temperature which has been recorded in the city this season so far.
The day started on a hot and humid note but in the evening the weather took a sudden change and at around 4.30 pm clouds came out and dust storm lashed the city.
People were caught by surprise as the wind velocity suddenly increased in the afternoon. Those riding two-wheelers were forced to slow down their vehicles while some decided to take a halt and wait for the storm to subside. The dust storm also disrupted power supply in various parts of the city.
Though the change in the weather’s mood brought down the mercury little bit in the evening, but it failed to provide the much-needed respite to residents from the prevailing heat wave conditions.
Weather experts predicted that the city would continue receiving dust storm but there was no prediction for rain in the city in the next few days.
Residents facing the wrath of nature here said moving outside around noon had almost become impossible nowadays. The high temperature followed by dust storms had affected the normal life in the city.
The flow of patients having stomach-related problems have also increased in city hospitals due to the rise in the temperature. Dr Ripudamanjit Singh Kalra said due to an increase in the temperature, number of patients suffering from stomach-related ailments had increased.
Dr Kalra said people should have a balanced diet and drink water in large quantity and eat fibre-rich food. They should avoid fried food in such weather conditions.