India (Commonwealth Union)_ A heat wave is proclaimed when a station’s highest temperature touches 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius along the coast, and 30 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas, and the deviation from normal is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, with the ongoing rise in temperature across the country, 11 people have died due to heatstroke in Maharashtra. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis reported that eleven individuals who sat in the open air at the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony on Sunday lost their lives after suffering a heat stroke. Additionally, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited a hospital where nearly fifty patients were admitted with heat-related illnesses.
During the ceremony, Home Minister Amit Shah honored social activist Appasab Dharmadhikari with the award instituted by the Maharashtra government. The event was conducted in Navi Mumbai, where the highest recorded daytime temperature was 38 degrees Celsius. Mr. Shinde and Mr. Fadnavis also participated in the ceremony. Thousands of the social activist’s supporters attended the event, which was conducted on a vast ground in Navi Mumbai. The award ceremony began at 11.30 am and lasted until 1 pm. The stadium was filled with audience and equipped with audio and video equipment so they could view the event. But the audience seating arrangement was in the open space and had no cover.
According to Mr. Shinde, the incident was unfortunate, and he declared a 5 lakh compensation for the deceased’s families. Mr Shinde also addressed the reporters following his hospital visit. He said, “As per the briefing received from doctors, 7-8 people have died today, while 24 are being treated. This is a case of sunstroke. Some 50 people were admitted to the hospital, of which 24 are still there while the rest have been discharged after primary treatment”. Mr. Fadnavis took to Twitter and announced that the government will pay for the treatment of heat-related ailment victims. Mr Fadnavis tweeted, “It is very unfortunate and painful that some members participating in the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony this morning died due to heatstroke… We share the grief of their families”.
According to a report by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), some regions of the country will experience a temperature increase of 3-5 degrees Celsius in the coming days. The IMD also reported that India experienced its warmest February this year since record-keeping began in 1901. However, March’s temperature was normal due to above-normal precipitation. The Meteorological Department announced on Monday that several states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, and the Delhi NCR, will experience heatwave conditions due to rising temperatures.
According to Naresh Kumar from IMD, in the coming days, temperatures will rise in regions such as Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana, and North West India. However, in the following days, the temperature is anticipated to decrease due to western disturbances. Further, several states, including West Bengal, have been issued an orange alert due to a heatwave. He also added that heat wave conditions have persisted for four or five days in eastern India, coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar.
In light of the ongoing heatwave in West Bengal, all educational institutions in the state have been ordered to close for one week beginning on April 17. The daytime temperature in Odisha is currently 43.5 degrees Celsius, causing the state to suffer from extreme heat. In addition, Maharashtra is experiencing extreme heatwave conditions. At least ten districts in Maharashtra have recorded daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius by mid-April, with Chandrapur being the warmest at 43.2 degrees. Further, the IMD has predicted that Bihar will experience a severe heat wave within the next three to four days.
