Heatwave and hot winds claim two lives in Bihar

Heatwave conditions have claimed the lives of two people in Bihar over the past 24 hours. Hundreds of people have fallen ill, with dozens undergoing treatment for heat-related illnesses at home or in both public and private hospitals across the state since April 21, 2024.

Officials at India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Patna issued a “yellow” alert for heatwaves in over a dozen districts in the state, expected to last until April 27-28, 2024. The officials noted that temperatures, currently hovering between 40 and 41 degrees Celsius, could reach 43-44°C by the end of this week in some districts.

According to state disaster management department officials, a young man fell unconscious at the civil court in Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali, on April 23, 2024. He was rushed to the government-run Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The doctors said that it appeared he died from heatstroke.

This was the first reported casualty due to heatwaves in the state this year.

On April 24, 2024, Saldhar Yadav, a teacher at a middle school in Barhauna, Banka, died from heatstroke. “Yadav complained of uneasiness and collapsed soon after he arrived at school. He was a victim of sunstroke,” headteacher of the school Anirudh Pandit said.

However, top officials from the state health and disaster management departments have yet to confirm whether these deaths were due to heatstroke or high temperatures. They indicated that unless postmortem reports confirm heat-related causes of death, it is not possible to establish a direct link.

Health department officials and doctors in public hospitals in Patna, Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Arwal and other districts noted that cases of heat-related illnesses have doubled in the past few days. A senior doctor at Patna Medical College and Hospital said, “The number of patients with sunstroke, dehydration, fever, weakness, and other symptoms due to high temperatures is increasing daily.”

Scorching sunlight and strong hot winds during the day are posing significant challenges to people, particularly those from lower-income working-class backgrounds, who have no choice but to work outdoors for hours.

To protect schoolchildren from heatwave conditions, the state government has revised school hours. Additionally, government agencies have issued advisories with recommended do’s and don’ts and precautions to be taken during hot weather.

IMD Patna officials said extreme to severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist in Bihar in the coming days.

Despite the heatwave, the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will take place in five constituencies in Bihar on April 26, 2024. Election Commission officials have cited high temperatures as a possible reason for the low voter turnout in the first phase of the elections in four constituencies on April 19.

Abdus Sattar, a senior scientist at the Centre for Advanced Studies on Climate Change, Rajendra Prasad Central University, Pusa, Samastipur, noted that temperatures in the state have been rising each year. Last year, Bihar experienced a prolonged heatwave and strong hot winds for nearly 20 days.

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