As many as 122 heat stroke cases were reported in Pune circle, which comprises Pune, Satara and Solapur districts, since March this year while there was no confirmed heat stroke-related death from March to May, according to health officials. Data shows that 57 deaths were recorded during this period but these were mainly due to old age and other chronic ailments, officials said. A person is diagnosed to have suffered a heat stroke if he/she has an elevated body temperature equal to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit and has an altered mental status, including disorientation, delirium and seizures. Most of the heat stroke cases were recorded in Solapur (91) followed by Satara (25) and Pune (6), data reveals. Dr Suryakant Deokar, Assistant Medical Officer of Pune Municipal Corporation, told The Indian Express, “We have taken appropriate measures to ensure that there are cooling rooms at civic-run hospitals. Till date, however, there have been no hospitalisations due to heat-related illness.” Maharashtra is currently experiencing high temperatures with the mercury soaring above normal levels, posing significant risks to public health. Authorities have alerted district health officers to take immediate preventive measures and follow necessary guidelines to mitigate the impact of the heatwave and ensure the safety of residents in affected areas. Heatwave conditions have been declared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in various regions of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Konkan, central Maharashtra and Vidarbha. This is the fourth heat wave alert for the season for the Konkan region and the first for the month of May, according to the IMD while several areas in central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha have been reeling under above-normal temperatures for the past three weeks. In an official statement, Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, said that along with heat wave warnings, there is a need to issue clear directives to citizens at the city and district levels to avoid going out during noon/afternoon hours (11.30 am to 3.30 pm) during the warning period, particularly for senior citizens and children, and to stay hydrated wherever possible and take other basic precautionary measures. “In terms of long-term strategy, there is a need to review district-level heat action plans based on dynamic climatic scenarios, scale and improve them to encompass the potential impact, and guarantee there is a strategy in place to combat these rising heat waves and their frequency,” Rajeevan said. Experts have also urged that long-term heat measures should be in place, like increasing the amount of shade in cities or access to water and other forms of cooling. In Pune and across the state, several public and private hospitals have stepped up preparedness by setting up wards and identifying cooling rooms, especially in peripheral areas. Heat-related illnesses are preventable and it is important to move to a cool place and wear loose cotton clothes and be well-hydrated, said Dr Amit Dravid, infectious diseases expert with Noble hospital. “We did see some cases of heat exhaustion last week and it is important that citizens do not venture out in the afternoon hours,” he added.
