On Sunday, the district experienced a maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius, surpassing the normal range by five degrees. The relative humidity was recorded at 25 per cent, intensifying the impact of the heat.
Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist from the India Meteorological Department, or IMD, said temperatures across the state were presently above normal. He added, “no relief is expected in the next 24 hours”.
The IMD issued an alert saying heatwave conditions will last until Jun 19 in parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The state’s health minister, Brijesh Pathak, said that they have opened an investigation into the cause of death of “so many people” in Ballia.
In eastern Bihar, scorching heat has engulfed most of the state, leading to 42 deaths in the past two days. Among the fatalities, 35 occurred at two hospitals in the state capital of Patna where over 200 patients suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting were being treated.
Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 44.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
The main summer months — April, May and June — are generally the hottest in most of India, before monsoon rains bring in cooler temperatures.
But temperatures have become more intense in the past decade. During heat waves, the country usually suffers severe water shortages, with tens of millions of its 1.4 billion people lacking running water.
A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that examines the source of extreme heat, found that a searing heat wave in April that struck parts of South Asia was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change.
In April, the heat caused the death of 13 people at a government event in India’s financial capital of Mumbai and prompted some states to close all schools for a week.
Source: CNA
