Heat wave sets record in Rajasthan, people seek govt help

Jaipur: After the temperature reached 51 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan, its residents on Friday called for government action to fight against the scorching heat.

Phalodi, a city in Jodhpur district of the state, is suffering an exceptional medical crisis following the temperature records, which are higher than any local summer standards. The temperature has smashed the previous record of 50.6 degrees Celsius in 1956.

According to reports, the government hospitals of the city have experienced a heavy increment in the number of patients in the last few days. Most of the patients were down with heat-related diseases.

“The last day was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the entire country. It was 51 degrees Celsius in Phalodi,” said B P Yadav, an official of India’s Meteorological Department (IMD).

Nursing officer of a local hospital Shiv Prakash Chanda has written a letter to the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, urging the government to postpone a national polio vaccination programme to prevent children’s exposure to heat. Also, he requested the government to set up tents and offer cold water in public places.

Highlights:

• The sweltering heatstroke on Friday claimed one life at a railway station of the city.
• The local hospitals have seen rise in the number of diarrhoea and continual vomiting cases.
• The hospitals had to struggle hard to meet demands from patients.
• Last year, the heat claimed more than 1,500 lives in the country.