Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has been witnessing the worst ever heatwave this season with most of the cities recording temperatures of more than 42 degree. Despite rains showers in few of the districts of UP on Monday morning, there has been no respite from the sweltering heat. Death toll in the state due to heatwave has crossed 70 so far with maximum being recorded in eastern UP districts of Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh.
According to reports, 128 people have died in Ballia in the last 9 days and most of them due to heatwaves.
Team of medical experts dispatched to Ballia
Alarmed over the situation, a team of medical experts has been dispatched to Ballia which has started a probe into the causes of the large number of deaths. In the last 24 hours, 178 new patients were admitted of which 14 died. In the neighbouring Mau district, long ques was seen at the cremation ground at Muktidham. Local residents said that 55 bodies were brought for cremation on Sunday against a daily average of 15-16.
In the wake of hospitals swelling with the number of patients suffering from heat stroke, the health minister of UP, Brijesh Pathak has asked officials to make elaborate arrangements. He has asked the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) in all the districts to reserve at least 10-15 beds in every hospital for heat stroke patients. Free treatment would be provided to all those suffering from heat stroke, he said.
CM calls meet
Taking a serious note of the situation, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called upon a meeting of senior officials to tackle the crisis. The CM directed officials to ensure all measures for the safety of people, cattle and wildlife animals. He asked the office of the ReliefCommissioner to issue a daily bulletin of the weather condition for the next day. The CM also directed the officials to make arrangements for drinking water at public places in every district. He said that water should be sprayed regularly on roads and tankers be deployed in areas facing crisis. The CM also instructed that water supply roasters should be maintained and defunct hand pumps should be made functional.
The UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has been asked to purchase more electricity from the energy exchange and maintain supply.
