Deaths Increase in India Due to Extreme Heat

With temperatures rising in north and central India, many people have died due to heat-related illnesses in the last 24 hours. Ten deaths were recorded at the government hospital in Odisha’s Rourkela district on Thursday. Deaths due to heatstroke were also reported in Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and the capital Delhi.

India faced these scorching heat while holding its general elections and the election results will be announced on June 4. Mahendra Kumar, district governor of Bihar’s Bhojpur district, said three election officials and a police officer died of heatstroke in the city on Thursday. “It was the hottest day and even though there were medical facilities at all centres, they collapsed,” Kumar said, adding that around 30-40 people were admitted to the hospital due to heat-related ailments on the same day.

Hospitals in the region are recording an increase in the number of patients admitted due to heat-related illnesses. On Thursday, a worker who was being treated at a hospital in Delhi died of heatstroke. India’s National Center for Disease Control describes heat strokes as a “life-threatening” condition and states that the mortality rate is between 40% and 64%. Extreme heat in northern, central and western India over the last two weeks has resulted in maximum temperatures hovering around 45-46°C and reaching up to 50°C in some areas.

Many regions are experiencing serious water and electricity shortages due to increased consumption. Rising temperatures have led to increased fires across India, and authorities are using drones to monitor forest fires in Jammu and Kashmir. Last week, the capital Delhi and surrounding areas experienced record temperatures approaching 50°C. Videos of residents struggling to get water from water tankers in Delhi were widely shared on social media. There are frequent power outages in many parts of the capital.

Authorities are investigating whether the temperature of 52.9°C recorded in Mungeshpur district on Wednesday was a result of a sensor malfunction at the weather station. A study published in The Lancet found that deaths due to extreme heat in India increased by 55% between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021. The study also stated that 167.2 billion potential work hours were lost due to heat in India in 2021. Experts say heatwaves are becoming longer, more intense and more frequent.