The severe heatwave has started to take its toll on the city. Tragically in the past 72 hours, Delhi has reported five deaths because of heat stroke and severe heat exhaustion against the backdrop of extremely high temperatures. Similarly, in Noida, ten cases of fatalities have been received due to the severe Heatwave. There were two deaths reported at Safdarjung Hospital, two at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, and one at Lok Nayak Hospital.
Due to the sharply increasing temperatures and severe heatwaves, the instances of the influx of patients affected by heatstrokes have also risen. This has prompted doctors to advise the elderly and people with weak immune systems to remain inside their houses.
“We are getting eight to 10 patients every day. There are serious patients also who require ICU admission. Yesterday, we got two patients who were hospitalised, and before that, we had four ICU admissions,” said Dr Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of LNJP Hospital.
“The patients who are developing severe illness are those who are elderly or have co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). We are also getting a few patients from other hospitals like Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital and Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital,” she told ANI.
Doctors have pointed out a few common symptoms of heat exhaustion to take note of, which include, low-grade fever, excessive sweating, strong and rapid pulse rate, headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, muscle weakness or cramps, vomiting and finally rashes.
It takes approximately one or two days to recover from the impacts of heat exhaustion. Treatment primarily focuses on symptomatic relief, including IV fluids, anti-emetics, and body cooling. Dr Tayal noted a significant increase in heat exhaustion cases over the past six weeks. Delhi continues to experience severe heatwave conditions, with temperatures reaching 45.2 degrees Celsius on Monday, which is notably 6.4 degrees above the seasonal average.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has, once again, issued a red alert for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab as an intense heatwave grips the regions. It has been noted that the temperatures have soared above 46 degrees Celsius across North India, including in Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Jharkhand over the past week. This extreme heat has even resulted in the deaths of 22 people in Bihar over the last 24 hours due to severe heat and high humidity that has been persisting.
Besides this, in the national capital, the maximum temperature in the forthcoming days is expected to hover around 45 degrees Celsius which is significantly higher than the average temperature that Delhi witnesses during the month of June. On Monday, the India Meteorological Department reported that the heat index, or “feels-like” temperature had surged to a sweltering 50 degrees Celsius. This underscores the severity of the current situation of heatwave. The high ground temperatures were also reported to cause a technical snag that delayed a Delhi to West Bengal IndiGo flight by over three hours.
Nonetheless, according to the IMD, the national capital can expect to experience some relief from the scorching heat starting Wednesday due to scattered rains and dust storms, long-term respite remains elusive. The IMD has indicated that any significant reduction in heat will be contingent upon the arrival of the monsoon. “Real abatement of heat will occur only once monsoon arrives,” an official from the IMD had stated. He had also added that it will take more than 12 days for monsoon to reach Delhi.
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