PUNE, April 21 -- Harshada Chaudhary, a 45-year-old woman farmer from Ahilyanagar district, was cutting fodder under the merciless afternoon sun last week when she suddenly collapsed. She was rushed to a rural hospital in her village Dhawalpuri, where she was declared dead on arrival. A post-mortem examination indicated heatstroke as the suspected cause of death. As the summer intensifies, cases of heatstroke are being reported from all over Maharashtra. The state's public health department confirmed 31 cases between March 1 and April 19, with Akola reporting the highest number (7), followed by Nandurbar (5), Ratnagiri (4), Gadchiroli (2), Jalna (2), Palghar (2), Raigad (2), Satara (2), and one case each in Gondia, Jalgaon, Nashik, Pune and Thane. Fears abound about heatstroke cases spiralling, given the rapidly rising temperatures across Maharashtra. At least 15 weather stations across the state on Monday reported maximum temperatures in the range of 40degC to 42degC, with Amravati topping the list at 43.4degC, followed closely by Akola at 43.2degC. In Pune, the maximum temperature stood at 39.7degC. Although Mumbai was lower on the temperature scale, its humidity levels-74% in the suburbs and 83% in South Mumbai-made for tremendous discomfort on Monday. The maximum temperature recorded in Santacruz, the city's base weather station, was 34.9degC, which was 2.9 degrees above normal. In Colaba, the maximum temperature stood at normal levels at 33.7degC. Commenting on the prevailing weather and the outlook for the coming days, S D Sanap, senior meteorologist at IMD Pune, said the state had been experiencing hot and humid conditions over the past four to five days but maximum temperatures across stations had dipped slightly by 1-2degC in the past 24 hours....