Hyderabad: The prevailing severe heatwave has claimed 167 lives in Telangana so far, according to data sent from the districts to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

This is mainly data from local officials. The three-member committees constituted in districts to inquire into whether these deaths were on account of the heatwave are yet to submit their reports.

The SDMA has not, therefore, recognised these deaths as “heatwave deaths”. The three-member government committee in each mandal consists of the tehsildar, police sub-inspector and civil surgeon, who will have to confirm that these deaths were due to the heatwave.

It’s important that the committee confirm these as heatwave deaths because only then will the financial assistance be sanctioned, said an SDMA official. “All the deaths are currently under scrutiny. No death has been confirmed as a heat wave death as yet,” he said.