Aurangabad, May 18:
It is a matter of great relief for the people of the city that not a single patient with heatstroke was found this year. The number has been the same for the last 3 years.
A lockdown was imposed in the district in March by order of the district collector to curb the growing number of coronavirus. People were ordered to stay indoors and only step out if there was urgent work. There was also a set time for the purchase of essentials. Not only in the city but also in the district, most of the people followed the government rules and did not leave their homes. This reduced the chances of venturing out in the scorching sun. Similarly, the city did not experience a harsh summer this year. In April, the city's temperature had reached 40.1 degrees Celsius for just two days. Occasional cloudy weather, unseasonal rains kept the temperature low. This also prevented heatstroke, district health officials said. Since no heatstroke patient was found, the health administration was able to focus its entire attention on the corona patient.
Last April, the summer temperature was between 39-38 degrees Celsius. In the second week, the temperature had gone up to 41.1 degrees Celsius for two days. In the first week of May, the temperature dropped due to unseasonal rains. Today, the temperature was 31 degrees Celsius. According to the Chikalthana observatory the next 10 days will be between 31 and 35 degrees Celsius. Hurricanes have hit the coastal areas in the past two days, causing temperatures in the city to drop.
Summer inside home
This year, the lockdown was imposed due to the Covid-19, forcing everyone to stay at home. There was no question of going out in the sun. While the temperature was rising outside, the citizens did not suffer from heatstroke due to low temperature. There was a lockdown during the same period last year. Hence no heatstroke patients have been found in the district for the last three years, said Dr G M Kundlikar, assistant district health officer.
Victims of heatstroke:
Year Number of victims
2019 00
2020 00
2021 00