Sunstroke Kills 54 As India Reels From Heatwave, Rajasthan Court Urges Centre To Declare Emergency

At least 54 people have lost their lives so far due to the continued heatwave conditions in several parts of the country, especially the northern region. Worst affected places such as Delhi, Punjab, and Odisha have been logging maximum temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius over the last few days.

Twelve people died of suspected heatstroke in Odisha’s Sundargarh during the past 24 hours amid sweltering heat, news agency IANS reported.

According to PTI, four people, including a woman, were killed due to heatwave-related symptoms in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, which recorded the state’s highest maximum temperature at 47.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday. In Bihar, sunstroke killed eight on Thursday.

Water crisis, power cuts

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has approached the Supreme Court regarding the water problem in the national capital.  In its plea, the Delhi government has informed the Supreme Court that the city’s water demand has surged due to ongoing heatwave conditions and they were urging neighbouring Haryana to release additional water for a month to address the crisis. The roasting heat has also triggered power cuts in North India, adding to people’s woes.

Heatwave conditions to abate from tomorrow

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the heatwave conditions are likely to abate from tomorrow.

IMD scientist Soma Sen said, “There have been a lot of casualties in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha in the last 24 hours. What we expect is that gradually heat wave conditions will abate from this entire region from tomorrow. Based on this, in most of these states, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand in all these states we have given an Orange alert for heat waves has been issued today.”

“Tomorrow heat wave conditions are likely to reduce slightly because of which most of these states will go to yellow alert. Punjab and Haryana orange alert will continue along with Orisha,” she added.

Though the southwest monsoon arrived simultaneously in Kerala and the northeastern states on Thursday, two days ahead of its expected date of June 1, it will reach northern, central, and eastern parts of India only after a month.

Dust storm in Delhi

The Met Office has predicted a dust storm in Delhi and its neighbouring areas over the weekend. “There is a possibility of a dust storm or thunderstorm on June 1 or June 2, bringing some relief. However, this will be a short-term relief,” said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Meteorology And Climate Change at Skymet Weather.

Delhi’s primary weather station Safdarjung observatory on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 46.8 degrees Celsius, the highest in 79 years. It was 46.7 degrees Celsius on June 17, 1945.

As temperatures in the capital New Delhi shot up this week, power usage in the city of an estimated 30 million people surged to a record high on Wednesday.

Researchers say human-induced climate change has driven the devastating heat impact in India and should be taken as a warning.

Rajasthan Court urges Centre to declare emergency

The high court in sun-baked Rajasthan has urged the government to declare a national emergency over the country’s ongoing heatwave. The High Court said authorities had failed to take appropriate steps to protect the public from the heat, reported news agency AFP.

“Due to extreme weather conditions in the form of (the) heatwave, hundreds of people have lost their lives this month,” the court said Thursday.

“We do not have a planet B which we can move onto… If we do not take strict action now, we will lose the chance of seeing out future generations flourish forever.”

The court directed the state government to set up compensation funds for relatives of any person who dies as a result of heat ailments.

Ruling on the current heatwave and such events in the future, it also said India should begin declaring them “national calamities”.

This would allow the mobilisation of emergency relief in a similar manner to floods, cyclones and natural disasters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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