Weather Update: Heat is breaking records of deaths in North India, 40 people died in 24 hours!
Deaths due to heat wave in the country: At least 40 people died in various states on Friday due to the severe heat in North India, which included 25 employees deployed for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Officials said that on Thursday as well, 10 people in Odisha, 8 in Bihar, 4 in Jharkhand, and 1 in Uttar Pradesh died due to the severe heat. At least five people have died in Rajasthan due to the heat so far. Officials said that the maximum number of deaths at 17 occurred in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, 14 deaths have been reported in Bihar, 5 in Odisha and 4 in Jharkhand. They said that more than 1,300 people were admitted to the hospital due to the heat wave.
Kanpur was the hottest area
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Kanpur (IAF) weather station recorded the highest temperature of 48.2 degrees in the country. Sirsa in Haryana was the second hottest place with 47.8 degrees Celsius. The city's maximum temperature was recorded at 47 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar, Delhi.
According to the IMD, severe heat wave conditions prevail in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, many parts of Uttar Pradesh, parts of Bihar, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and some parts of Jharkhand. Heat wave conditions also prevailed in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, western Madhya Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh. Heat wave-like conditions are also prevailing in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi.
The weather department said that the situation is expected to improve in the next two to three days. Meanwhile, officials in Uttar Pradesh said that at least 15 election workers died, possibly due to heat stroke. In the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, voting is to be held on Saturday in 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Sonbhadra district and Mirzapur.
15 election workers died in Mirzapur, UP
Dr. Raj Bahadur Kamal, Principal of Maa Vindhyavasini Autonomous State Medical College, Mirzapur, said that 13 election workers died in the hospital. The deceased include seven home guard jawans, three sanitation workers, a clerk posted in the Chief Medical Officer's office, a consolidation officer, and a Home Guard worker. He said that they were taken to the hospital due to complaints of high fever and high blood pressure. Officials said that two election workers died in Sonbhadra district due to the scorching heat, while nine workers are being treated in the hospital.
Voting is to be held on Saturday for eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. State officials said that 14 people, including 10 election officials, died due to heat stroke in the last two days. They said that three election officials died in Rohtas, while one each died in Kaimur and Aurangabad districts. Four other people died in different parts of the state. Due to the scorching heat, all schools, coaching institutes, and Anganwadi centers in the state have been closed till June 8.
People in Odisha were advised not to go out in the afternoon
Meanwhile, in view of the temperature exceeding 42 degrees Celsius at 13 places in Odisha and the high level of humidity, the state government on Friday advised people to stay indoors between 11 am and 3 pm for the next three days. In view of the severe heat warning, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu has urged people to stay indoors between 11 am and 3 pm for the next three days. He has also warned of strict legal action against contractors and other agencies who employ workers during this period. The Odisha government on Friday confirmed five deaths due to heat stroke so far, while the death of 18 other people possibly due to heat is being investigated.
Four people died of heat stroke in Jharkhand on Friday, while 1,326 people were hospitalized amid scorching heat in most parts of the state, officials said. All district hospitals and other medical facilities have been asked to keep air-conditioned rooms and vacant beds for heat stroke patients, they said.
Water crisis increases as heat increases
Dr. Alok Trivedi, Mission Director, National Health Mission (Jharkhand) said, "Four people died of heat stroke in Jharkhand. Three died in Palamu and one in Jamshedpur. These deaths did not occur in hospitals. 1,326 people were admitted to hospitals in various districts of the state due to heat-related problems. Of these, 63 cases of heat stroke have been confirmed so far."
Due to rising temperatures, a water crisis has arisen in some parts of the country including Delhi and the problems of the residents are increasing. People have to stand in long queues to arrange water to meet their daily needs.
Vibha Devi, a resident of Geeta Colony in Delhi, said, 'I have been standing in the queue since 4 am, but due to the crowd I am not able to reach the water tanker...it is difficult to get water.'
People are eagerly waiting for the monsoon
Meanwhile, the IMD said that the southwest monsoon has advanced into the remaining parts of the north-east Bay of Bengal, some parts of the north-west Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam, most parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.