India
Temperatures nearing 45C have been recorded, with people over 60 at particular risk as deaths occur in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states
Associated Press in Lucknow
Monday 19 June 2023 07/01 BST
At least 96 people have died in two of India’s most populous states in recent days, while much of the country suffered from an oppressive heatwave.
The deaths occurred in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar, where authorities had warned residents over the age of 60 and others with various illnesses to stay home during the day.
All of the fatalities in Uttar Pradesh, 54 in total, were reported in Ballia district, some 300 km (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital. Authorities found that most of those who died were in their 60s and had underlying health conditions that the intense heat may have made worse.
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SK Yadav, a medical official in Ballia, said on Sunday that around 300 patients had been admitted to the district hospital over the past three days for various ailments aggravated by heat.
Due to the severity of the situation, authorities canceled requests for leave from Ballia medical staff and made additional hospital beds available in the emergency department to cope with the influx of patients.
Officials said most of the patients admitted were aged 60 or older and presented with symptoms including high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing and heart problems.
RS Pathak, a Ballia resident who lost his father on Saturday, said he witnessed an increased flow of patients in the hospital’s emergency room while caring for his father.
“It’s never happened in Ballia before. “I’ve never seen people die from the heat in such large numbers,” he said. “People are scared to go. The streets and markets are largely deserted.”
Ballia and Central and East Uttar Pradesh are currently struggling with sweltering heat.
On Sunday, the district had a high of 43°C (109°F), exceeding the normal range by 5°C. The relative humidity was measured at 25%, increasing the effect of the heat.
A man splashes water on his face to cool off in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh. Photo: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP
Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said temperatures across the state are currently above normal, adding: “No relief is expected in the next 24 hours.”
The IMD issued a warning that the heatwave would last until June 19 in parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The state’s health secretary, Brijesh Pathak, said he had launched an inquiry into the cause of death of “so many people” in Ballia.
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In eastern Bihar, searing heat has engulfed most of the state, resulting in 42 deaths in the past two days. 35 of the fatalities occurred at two hospitals in the state capital, Patna, where more than 200 patients were being treated for diarrhea and vomiting.
Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 44.7 °C (113 °F) on Saturday.
The peak summer months of April, May and June are generally the hottest in most of India before monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures.
But temperatures have intensified over the past decade. The country typically suffers severe water shortages during heat waves, as tens of millions of its 1.4 billion people lack running water.
A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that studies the source of extreme heat, found that a searing April heatwave that ravaged parts of South Asia was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change.
In April, heat killed 13 people at a government event in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, and some states had to close all schools for a week.
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