- By Shivangi Sharma
- Fri, 31 May 2024 07:52 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Heatwave In India: India is currently witnessing the hottest time of the season with many states witnessing record-breaking temperatures. The continuous rise in temperatures is affecting people’s daily lives making it harder for them to step out of their homes. Heatwaves are also claiming the lives of people due to heatstroke. In the past 24 hours, nearly 28 people have succumbed to death due to an intense heatwave in different parts of India.
According to a report by ANI, four people succumbed to heatstroke and died at the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) in Odisha's Sundargarh. ADM Rourkela Ashutosh Kulkarni in a statement said, “Four people died due to heat in Rourkela. Yesterday, 50 patients came to the government hospital with heat-related complaints. Eight other persons were brought dead to the hospital yesterday. The cause of their death will be known after postmortem."
As per PTI, fourteen people, including 10 polling personnel, have died due to heatstroke in Bihar in the last 24 hours. In a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department, most of the fatalities were reported from Bhojpur, where five officials on election duty died of heatstroke. Three election officials died in Rohtas, and one each died in Kaimur and Aurangabad districts. Four other people died in different parts of the state, the statement said. A total of 80 people have lost their lives due to heatstrokes in Bihar in the last three days.
Four persons including a woman died of sunstroke in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Thursday, which recorded the state's highest maximum temperature at 47.4 degrees Celsius. The four deaths were reported from different parts of the district. "Three persons died during treatment at a hospital, while one died outside the hospital. The patients were suffering from heatwave-related complications," Palamu civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Singh said, as quoted by PTI on Thursday.
PTI on Friday reported four more deaths in Jharkhand, while 1,326 others were admitted to hospital amid sweltering heat in most parts. "Four persons - three in Palamu and one in Jamshedpur - died of heatstroke in Jharkhand. These deaths did not occur in hospitals. As many as 1,326 people were admitted to hospitals in different districts of the state due to heat-related issues. Out of these, 63 are confirmed cases of heatstroke so far," Dr Alok Trivedi, Mission Director, National Health Mission (Jharkhand), said as quoted by PTI.
According to a report by ANI, two children died reportedly of heatstroke in Gwalior on Thursday. The two children, who were siblings, had gone to get medicines with their mother and grandmother in an autorickshaw. The two children, a boy and a girl, were aged 12 and 14 years.
Water Crisis Intensifies Amid Severe Heatwave
Amid intense heat waves, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi and several other parts of India are facing extreme water crisis. In Delhi, Chanyakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area and East Delhi’s Geeta Colony areas are worst hit by the water crisis. The Delhi government has attributed the current water crisis primarily to Haryana’s failure to release raw water from the Yamuna River to Delhi, as the capital heavily depends on Yamuna water to meet its requirements. The raw water is directed to Wazirabad and then distributed to three water treatment plants located in Wazirabad, Chandawal and Okhla. Delhi government has reached out to the Supreme Court seeking temporary water supply from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Intense heat has also gripped Rajasthan which led to a significant shortage of water in the state. The Rajasthan High Court has taken cognizance of the water crisis, directing both central and state governments to compensate the affected families. The Rajasthan court further emphasized that the state government should provide water and shade on roads and public places and restrict outdoor labour between 12 PM and 3 PM.
When Will People Get Relief From Heatwave?
IMD on Thursday predicted that heatwave conditions will slowly subside over Northwest and Central India from May 31. IMD predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Northeast India during the next 4-5 days. The weather department noted, “Hot and humid weather very likely to prevail over isolated pockets of Konkan & Goa during 30th May-01st June; Gangetic West Bengal on 30th & 31st May, 2024." The IMD’s weather forecasts suggest the occurrence of dust storms over Uttar Pradesh till June 1; and in Haryana and Delhi today.
