There is no respite from the scorching heatwave sweeping several parts of India this summer, resulting in fatalities in Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
The national capital is grappling with an acute water shortage with residents forced to run after water tankers with their empty buckets. The city government has already moved the Supreme Court seeking additional supply from neighbouring states.
The heatwave conditions have swept the country at a time when the Lok Sabha elections are in its last stage, with the final phase of voting slated to take place on Saturday.
Here are the top 10 updates on heatwave conditions in India:-
1. The automatic weather station (AWS) in Nagpur recorded a maximum temperature of 56 degrees Celsius, a TOI report stated. As per the report, the AWS was located in the middle of a 24 hectare open agriculture field belonging to the Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Ramdaspeth. However, the IMD has not issued any confirmation regarding the maximum temperature in Nagpur. HT could not independently ascertain whether the AWS recorded the temperature at 56 degrees Celsius. The TOI report quoted a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre saying that the AWS could be faulty, adding that after a threshold temperature, the recording becomes unreliable.
2. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature in the national capital currently stands at 45.4 degrees Celsius. The IMD has also predicted light rain and thunderstorm in Delhi during the day. The power discoms operating in Delhi are relying on their advanced-technology transformers to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity, with the peak demand ranging around 8,000 MW amid a scorching heatwave in the city.
3. The IMD stated that the Southwest Monsoon advanced into the remaining parts of the northeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of the northwest Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and most parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim.
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4. Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of south Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep area, Kerala, some parts of Karnataka, some more parts of Tamil Nadu & Southwest Bay of Bengal during next 2-3 days, the IMD added.
5. Madhya Pradesh continues to reel under intense heatwave with the Sidhi district recording a maximum temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius while Khajuraho in Chhattarpur simmered at 47 degrees Celsius.
6. The Rajasthan high court has taken suo motu cognizance of the deaths due to scorching heat in the state. The court said there was a need to declare heatwaves and cold waves “national calamities.”
7. At least 19 people in Bihar including a worker on Lok Sabha election duty have died due to heatwave, ANI reported. Patna District Magistrate Shirsat Kapil Ashok, said, “More than 43 lakh electors will vote tomorrow. Medical teams have been deployed at various places given heatwave conditions. Mock poll will start at 5.30 am before voting begins at 7 am. 10% reserve polling officials present in case any already deployed polling officials fall ill due to heat.”
8. Due to intense heatwave, several villages in Melghat region of Maharashtra’s Amravati district are experiencing a severe water crisis, forcing residents to collect water from polluted sources. The residents of Mariampur village told ANI they are forced to collect drinking water by digging pits on the bank of the polluted pond.
9. The Congress has accused the BJP-led Rajasthan government of suppressing the number of deaths caused by the intense heat battering the state while claiming that more than 100 people have died of heat stroke in the state. The Rajasthan government had on Thursday announced that five people had died from heat stroke and added that reports about a higher toll being circulated in the media were “beyond facts”.
10. On the heatwave conditions in Odisha, the state’s special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu, said,” Heatwave conditions are prevailing in Sambalpur, Balangir, Surendargarh, Angul, Dhenkanal etc. We have instructed the District Magistrates in these districts to take precautions and spread awareness about not being out in the sun. We are monitoring the situation closely.” At least 41 people, including 12 in Rourkela, died of suspected heatstroke in Odisha in the last 24 hours.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)