HYDERABAD: It might still only be March, but summer is already flexing its muscles. Several districts in the State have recorded higher than normal temperatures, and are soon expected to record 40 degree Celsius.
On Tuesday, Bhadradri Kothagudem district registered a maximum daytime temperature of 40.4 degrees Celsius. Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jagtial, Peddapalli, Mahabubabad, Nirmal, Wanaparthy and Mahbubnagar districts have recorded daytime temperatures above 38 degrees in the past week. Temperatures in all the districts have crossed 35 degrees.
According to the forecast by Telangana State Development and Planning Society (TSDPS), all northern, central and southern parts of the State, including Nalgonda and Khammam, are likely to record 40 degrees Celsius this week.
In Hyderabad, although considered to be meteorologically normal, daytime temperatures have been on a constant rise. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature recorded in the city was 35.7 degrees. According to IMD meteorologists, Hyderabad is showing a deviation of -1 degree Celsius in daytime temperatures.
Yet, few takers for cool beverages
As the weather gets hotter, products ranging from clay pots to air coolers are flying off the shelves. However, hyperlocal vendors who sell beverages like lassi, faluda, lemonade, fruit juices or fruits - usually a safe bet during summers - are registering lower than usual sales. Some attribute this to the citizens' fears over COVID-19.
"I am just trying to keep the business running because the cost of the fruit is low. But there is no profit at all," said Mohammed Jawed, a watermelon seller at Mallapally main road.
Mahesh Kumar, a lemonade seller from Mehdipatnam, laments, "Even though I have shifted to serving lemonade in plastic ware and begun wearing gloves and a mask considering public safety, nobody is buying it."