Heatwave enforces lockdown in the north as some cities register record highs

Doctors caution people against venturing out of homes between 11 am and 3 pm, recommend immediate hospitalisation in case of sunstroke

As heatwave conditions prevailed in the region due to dry winds blowing over northwest, central and adjoining interior parts of eastern India, Chandigarh recorded a high of 42.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, Amritsar and Ludhiana 44 degrees and Patiala 43.2 degrees, even as the India meteorological department (IMD) advised people to stay indoors and said some relief was expected by March 28.

A woman helps her child to drink water from a bottle in the scorching heat at Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology in Sector 26, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

Ludhiana recorded its highest temperature this summer.

Devotees serving cold and sweet water to people on the martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev at Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib in Patiala on Tuesday.

No respite was forecast for Amritsar till after May 27, after which spells of rain were expected. The lockdown due to Covid-19 was making things worse, said resident Gurleen Kaur, “as we are forced to go out to buy essential items and stand in the sun for long hours because of social distancing.”

Drinking water was the best option, said Amritsar based Dr Rakesh Sharma, adding, “people should also keep their body dry to avoid skin infections.”

Sikh devotees drinking at a chabeel in Amritsar on Tuesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

‘HEAT STROKE CAN BE DANGEROUS’

In Patiala, apart from the lockdown, the heat kept people indoors, with Patiala civil surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra saying the IMD had predicted a severe heat wave with maximum temperatures likely to cross 45°C. Advising people to exercise caution, he said “such high temperatures can lead to a heat stroke, resulting in physiological strain and even death.”

“Wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose and porous cotton clothes and when outside, use protective goggles, umbrella or a hat,” the civil surgeon added, saying children should also not be allowed out

IMD’s deputy director general of meteorology, KS Hosalikar in Delhi, cautioned people to “watch out for hot afternoons and avoid going out between 11 am and 3 pm,” PTI reported.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks, as they dehydrate the body

Avoid high-protein food

Do not leave children or pets in parked vehicles or allow them to play outdoors in the afternoon

In Ludhiana, Prabhjyot Kaur, head of the department of school of climate change and agricultural meteorology, said maximum temperatures were expected to stay above 40 degrees, which would be helpful in creating low pressures, favourable for the advancing monsoon current towards the north. Kaur also said western disturbances leading to moderate rainfall by May 29 would bring some respite from the heat in the city.

Heatwave conditions would persist over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, and Vidarbha till May 28, IMD officials said

No one was taking risks. “Due to the lockdown earlier I was stepping out of home only when necessary, but now I go out only in the evening, said Ranvinder Singh Gill, a resident of Chandigarh’s Sector 8.

WHAT TO DO

Use oral rehydration therapy (ORS), homemade drinks like lassi, torani (rice water), lime water, buttermilk

Cover hats, use umbrella and wear sunglasses when outdoors

Those affected by sun stroke should be given first-aid immediately, their heads bathed with water (room temperature) and bodies wiped with wet towels to bring down body temperature before they are taken to hospital

As staying dehydrated was necessary, Gill said he had stocked up on lemons and was making the cooling shikanji with lemon juice and black salt.

Chirag Puri, an e-commerce firm employee currently working from home said he found it unbearably warm while getting his car repaired at a workshop. “I am keeping hydrated with glucose and mango shakes and won’t be stepping out now from 1 pm to 5 pm from my house.”

Things were also not easy for traffic policemen. On how they coped, constable Rajiv Sharma said, “We make it a point not to stand in direct sunlight for long and keep moving. We have to keep drinking water so we bring lime water from home to help us.” People in the shops and local residents offered them lemonade in the afternoons, he said.

WESTERN DISTURBANCE TO BRING RELIEF

Chandigarh IMD scientist Shivinder Singh said the heatwave in the region had been caused by hot surface winds blowing in from Rajasthan, where at some stations the maximum temperature had crossed 47 degrees C.

Some respite was possible by Thursday when a western disturbance was likely to affect the region. “Cloudy weather and a chance of light rain up to 20mm along with gusty winds up to 40km are likely to bring the maximum temperature back in the 30s,” he said.

UT director health services Dr G Dewan also issued an advisory on Tuesday, asking people to avoid direct exposure to sunlight, staying indoors in well ventilated areas and avoiding electric fans when temperatures shot up.