Ranchi: Despite squall and thunderstorms in many parts of the state capital on Friday night, the day temperature remained high on Saturday, causing discomfort to people.During the past 24 hours, the state capital recorded a temperature of 40.4°C whereas Kanke block, which remains comparatively colder recorded a temperature of 40.1°C, both being 4°C to 5°C above normal.The district administration has ordered a change in the school timings to prevent children from facing severe heat but the uneasiness still remained at peak around noon, the time when school usually gets over. People out in the open have also been complaining of discomfort and uneasiness due to scorching heat.While some places in the state are known to have recorded a temperature above 45°C during summer, the state capital so far has not experienced a maximum temperature above 42°C in the past couple of years. "It is hard to believe that the weather thermometer is showing 40°C only because the discomfort level is far more than the previous years," said Ajay Rajgariah, a shopkeeper at Main road who remains exposed to warm blowing winds almost throughout the day.Another vendor Tunnu, who has a shop in the open stood under the shade of a nearby building to avoid the sun's rays. The discomfort level is being associated with higher index of UV rays entering the atmosphere.Geologist at Ranchi University Dr Nitish Priyadarshi said Ranchi being situated on Chhotanagpur plateau is at a higher altitude and is colder than plain areas. "It is due to high index of UV(B) radiation that people are feeling uneasy under the sun, despite temperature being not so high," he said.Corroborating to the rise in UV(B) levels in the recent years, agromet advisor at Birsa Agriculture University, Dr Abdul Wadood said the university has been monitoring UV rays and its intensity. "It has often reached the medical threshold level in Jharkhand and is reported to be maximum between 11am to 2pm," he said. Wadood said UV rays do not have a heating effect. "It penetrates the skin and at high levels causes eye allergy," he said.Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) at Pune has been monitoring UV index and found it at dangerously high levels (10) at some places last year. Wadood added that the effect of UV index on the productivity of crops is still being researched on but till now there have been no reports of its ill-effects on human beings.

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