Children bathe to beat the heat in Allahabad. File image/Reuters
The mercury in India has risen to dangerous highs — fatally high levels. Close to the financial capital of India, Mumbai, 12 people have died after suffering from a sunstroke at an award function.
In Bengal, the temperatures have soared so high that officials have called for a holiday in schools. Same is the situation in Odisha. The weather man has also sounded a heatwave alarm for New Delhi.
Just how hot is it in India and will the situation worsen or improve?
Maharashtra
The western state of Maharashtra has been left sweating and sweltering as the temperature keeps climbing. On Sunday, in Mumbai’s Navi Mumbai area, the heat turned into a killer at an event where Home Minister Amit Shah was the chief guest.
Twelve people succumbed to a sunstroke at the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award function, attended by lakhs, was held in an open ground in Kharghar area. At the time of the event, the weather man reported the temperature to be 38 degrees Celsius. The issue has become a hot political topic with the Opposition’s Ajit Pawar seeking an inquiry into how the event was organised in the afternoon when the temperature was very high.
People gather to attend an award ceremony on the outskirts of Mumbai. A heatstroke killed 12 after an estimated million spectators waited for hours in the sun at a government-sponsored awards ceremony. AFP
Maharashtra has been witnessing soaring temperatures since the beginning of this month with 10 districts crossing the 40 degrees Celsius barrier. According to Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data, Chandrapur is the hottest at 43.2 degrees and south Mumbai emerging the “coolest” at 31.6.
The hottest districts in the state with the highest mercury readings are: Chandrapur (43.2 degrees), Wardha (42.2), Amravati and Solapur (41.4), Nagpur (41), Parbhani (40.8), Yavatmal (40.5), Akola and Jalgaon (40.3), and Nanded (40.2).
Many educational institutions across the state have curtailed outdoor activities for students and officials have asked people to refrain from stepping out of their houses unless necessary between 1-5 pm.
Also read: How deadly will be the Indian summer?
New Delhi
The Capital is also feeling the heat with an IMD official saying that there will be marginal heatwave conditions for the next two days in Delhi-NCR. Naresh Kumar, the IMD expert, said, “For now there is a poor possibility of heatwave conditions in Delhi-NCR, but still the temperature will be 3-4 degrees Celsius above normal.”
The Safdarjung Observatory, which is Delhi’s main weather station, registered a maximum temperature of 40.4 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees higher than the normal average.
West Bengal
The IMD has sounded an orange alert for West Bengal, which is already reeling from extremely high temperatures. The authorities have called for all schools, colleges and educational institutions to remain close until Saturday (22 April) in view of the ‘severe’ heatwave conditions.
People cool off in the Yamuna River in New Delhi. AFP
Odisha
The rising temperatures is also an issue in neighbouring Odisha. The state is experiencing extreme heat, with the day temperature reaching 43.5 degrees Celsius.
On Thursday, Baripada in north Odisha recorded the highest maximum day temperature of 43.5 degree Celsius across the world.
Also read: Heatwave from hell: What do IMD colour codes – orange, yellow, red – mean
The heat conditions prompted officials to change school timings in the state and schools are now running from 6.30 am to 11 am. However, the 11 am timings has irked parents, as the sun is at its peak then.
Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj
Bihar
The heat is on even in Bihar. The IMD has said that the state is likely to experience heatwave conditions over the next three to four days. Maximum temperature in the state is likely to stay above 40 degrees Celsius with high relative humidity.
Over the weekend, Dehri, Gaya, and Nawada remained the hottest places with the highest maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees Celsius.
Kumar Gaurav, an official at Patna Meteorological Centre, told Hindustan Times, “North-westerly winds are prevailing over the state up to 5.8 km above mean sea level. A cyclonic circulation lies over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood at 1.5 km above mean sea level. As a result, the maximum temperature in the state is likely to rise by two to four degrees.”
Andhra Pradesh
The southern state of Andhra Pradesh is also witnessing a very hot summer, with the weatherman issuing an orange alert for the state. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) has forecast severe heat wave conditions in six mandals and heat waves in 174 more mandals.
Effects of heatwaves
Heatwaves have devastating effects on our physical well-being. As the body’s temperature increases, blood vessels open up, leading to lower blood pressure. It makes the heart work harder to circulate the blood around the body. The effects of lower blood pressure can be felt through dizziness, headache, and nausea. It can also lead to dehydration, and in the worst cases cause heart attacks.
They also impact our mental being, with studies showing that it is not unusual to feel anxious, stressed and irritable due to the increased temperatures.
Mental health experts have suggested that extreme physical exhaustion and restlessness due to high temperatures can lead to depression and anxiety.
An increase in suicide rate has also been noticed due to extreme heat. A 2021 review of epidemiological studies on heat exposure and mental health outcomes found a 2.2 per cent increase in mental health-related mortality with an increase in temperature of just one-degree Celsius.
Hence, it is important that people stay calm and stay hydrated and away from the sun as far as possible.
With inputs from agencies
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