Rajasthan's Phalodi simmers at 50°C as heatwave grips western state

At a sizzling 50°C, Phalodi recorded the third highest temperature ever recorded in the city.

At a sizzling 50°C, Phalodi in Rajasthan recorded the third highest temperature ever recorded in the city, data from the Pune-based National Data Centre of the India Meteorological Department showed, narrowly missing its record high of 51°C.

Rajasthan has been suffering under the unrelenting heat for at least the past week (REUTERS)

The state has been suffering under the unrelenting heat for at least the past week, with six more people succumbing to heat-related ailments in the last 24 hours.

A red alert has been issued for 13 districts — Alwar, Baran, Kota, Barmer, Bikaner, Jalore, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur, Pali, Nagaur, Sriganganagar, and Jaisalmer — in the state till Monday , forecasting extreme heatwave.

Phalodi in Jodhpur recorded 50°C was the third highest maximum temperature for the month of May. The city recorded 51°C on May 19, 2016, which was the highest temperature ever recorded in the country, and 50.5°C on May 18, 2016.

The year 2016 was when the last phase of the El Nino weather patten waned, after it set in 2014. El Nino is usually characterised by a warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean. In India, this leads to the monsoon being drier than usual.

Saturday’s highest in Phalodi was followed by Barmer and Jaisalmer, which both recorded 48°C, and Bikaner and Churu, which recorded 47°C, IMD data showed.

Such unusually high temperatures were observed in other parts of the country as well.

Parts of Madhya Pradesh, such as Khargone, Ratlam, Rajgarh and Khandwa, recorded more than 45°C maximum temperatures.

In Delhi, Safdarjung (the city’s base station) recorded 43.4°C and Najafgarh 46.8°C.

Most of northeast India recorded extremely high temperatures, with over Assam nearly burning under severe heat. Guwahati recorded 40.1°C, in a departure of 8 degrees from normal; Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh recorded 39.4°C, 9.3 degrees above normal; Cherrapunji in Meghalaya recorded 30.1°C, 7 degrees above normal.

Experts blamed a change in wind directions for the dry weather.

“This extreme heat is mainly being recorded because wind direction has changed. Its northerly. So even more northeast India, very dry, hot winds blowing from the land side are affecting. The change in wind direction is mainly due to cyclone formation over the Bay. Northeast India will see relief from Sunday once the cyclone makes landfall,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD.

Cyclone Remal is expected to make a landfall at around midnight on May 26, between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh.

But, the impact of the severe heat was visible on the ground in Rajasthan, where at least 25 people have died in the last 72 hours due to symptoms concurrent with heat stress.

A person admitted to a district hospital in Jalore died due to a heat stroke on Saturday, officials said. “The deceased, identified as Sungaram Mali (75), resident of Bhimawada, Jalore, was admitted to the district hospital after suffering heat stroke on Friday. Sungaram was taken to the hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated. He died on Saturday morning,” the hospital said in a statement.

In another incident, reported from Balotra district, Chuna Ram (50) was taken to Nahata hospital when his health deteriorated due to heat stress apparently. He died while undergoing treatment, officials said.

Bodies of two men were found on the roadside in two different police station areas of Pindwara tehsil in Sirohi district. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and police are searching for their family members, officials said. Police officials said that they suspect the two died due to extreme dehydration. However, the exact cause of death will be ascertained after the post-mortem examination.

In Ajmer, two people died — a 49-year-old truck driver, Vaishnav Lal, and a daily-wage labourer, Moti Singh, also reportedly died due to heat-stress.

The state health department, meanwhile, said there were no casualties because of heatstroke so far.

“All the patients have been facilitated with proper treatment in the hospitals. The department has also issued guidelines to confirm the death due to heat-stroke as per the norms of the Indian Government. Following those norms, the state-level death audit committee did not find anyone died due to heat stroke,” the department said in a statement.

The statement added that a total of 2,243 patients of heatstroke were reported in Rajasthan between March 1 and May 25.

“However, none of them died due to the stroke. Though two deaths in Kota and Jaipur were also doubted due to heat stroke. But the death audit committee, after investigating the cases following the GoI norms stated the deaths were not due to heat stroke,” the statement added.

The department has also issued a notice to 12 medical officers for their alleged negligence in ensuring proper facilities for the patients of heatstroke.

“It was found that their negligence led to lack of beds, air-coolers, and medicines at many hospitals. We have given them a three-day time period to reply. Necessary action will be taken after that,” said Shubhra Singh, additional chief secretary, health.