Days of sweltering heat and power outages in northern India overwhelm hospitals as the death toll rises

PALIA, India (AP) — A scorching heat wave in two of India’s most populous states has swamped hospitals, filled morgues to capacity and knocked out power, forcing staff to use books to comfort patients, as officials investigate a death toll that has reached nearly from 170.

In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 119 people have died of heat-related illnesses over the past several days while neighboring Bihar state has reported 47 deaths, according to local news reports and health officials.

So many people die from the heat that we don’t get a minute to rest. On Sunday, I picked up 26 bodies.

Other residents said they were afraid to go out after midday.

The largest hospital in Palia district of Uttar Pradesh is unable to accommodate more patients. Officials said the morgue was full after 54 people, all elderly people with various health problems, died during the heat wave. Some families have been asked to take the bodies of their relatives home.

State Health Minister Brajesh Pathak said on Sunday that a two-member team will look into the cause of the high number of deaths and will investigate the number of cases that are directly linked to heat.

While the northern regions of India are notoriously hot during the summer months, temperatures have been consistently higher than normal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, with highs reaching 43.5 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit). A heat wave has been declared in India if temperatures are 4.5°C above normal, or if the temperature is above 45°C (113°F).

“We have issued heatwave warnings over the past few days,” said Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist at IMD.

Despite the warnings, government officials didn’t tell people to prepare for the heat until Sunday, when the death toll began to climb.

Adding to the heat stress, there are constant power outages throughout the area, leaving people without running water, fans or air conditioning.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the government was taking measures to ensure there was no power outage. He urged citizens to cooperate and use electricity wisely.

Every village and every city must have enough power supply during this scorching heat. “If any errors occur, they must be addressed immediately,” he said Friday evening in a statement.

Inside the Balia district hospital, the chaotic scenes were reminiscent of the coronavirus pandemic, as families and doctors scramble as many patients need urgent attention. The corridors reeked of urine, rubbish, and medical waste, and the spittle of betel leaves smeared the walls of the hospital.

“All our staff have been here for three straight days and they are overworked,” said Dr. Aditya Singh, EMO.

The hospital wards do not have working air conditioners, and the refrigeration units that have been installed are not working properly due to fluctuations in the electrical current. The attendees fanned the patients with books and wiped their sweat in an effort to keep them calm.

Officials said the most severe cases have been shifted to hospitals in nearby major cities such as Varanasi, and more doctors and medical resources have been sent to the district hospital to deal with the heat-induced crisis.

Climate experts say heatwaves will continue and India needs to be better prepared to deal with its consequences. A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that researches the source of extreme heat, found that the extreme heat wave in April that hit parts of South Asia was at least 30 times more likely to occur. by climate change.

Plans to deal with heat waves are essential to reduce their effects and save lives. said Aditya Valiathan Pillai, associate fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank Policy Research.

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Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India. Associated Press writers Biswajit Banerjee in Lucknow, India, and Indrajit Singh in Patna, India, contributed to this report.