Mercury scales to 43 deg C in Daltonganj

Jharkhand is on the brink of experiencing another record breaking summer. Heat waves are expected to sweep the State, signaling scorching days for the residents.

Since the Municipal Elections, mercury levels haven’t dipped and chances of acute drinking water problems are hovering over the people in dry zones.

On Wednesday, Ranchi and Jamshedpur recorded a maximum of 37.6 and 36.1 degrees respectively. Daltonganj crossed the 40 degree mark and the mercury touched a staggering 43.5 degrees.

Heat waves are not only harmful for human and animal health but also pose serious threat to crops, water resources and puts extra load on the electricity department, as the demand for power increases considerably.  

The meteorological department has signaled that the next couple of days will be quite unfavourable. Sr. Scientist – IMD (Ranchi), R.S Sharma, said, “Jharkhand is experiencing temperatures which are above normal and the situation is likely to continue for the next couple of days. Small occurrences of thunderstorms and scanty rainfall are expected, especially in the NE districts of the state. Chances of heat waves sweeping the state are very likely as the temperatures have started surging.”

Commenting on the actions to be taken, Disaster Management Professional, Colonel SK Srivastava said, “Heat waves initiate when temperatures are 5 degrees above normal. Temperatures in Jharkhand are already touching 40 degrees. An advisory should be issued by the State Govt to make all the districts aware of the prevalent conditions. Identification of areas affected by shortage of drinking waters should be done and provisions for the same should be made. Schools should run in the morning hours only, hospitals should be readied to attend numerous patients complaining about heat strokes and other heat related issues.”      

However, he added that Bay of Bengal is expected to witness cyclonic conditions by the end of this month which is likely to bring some respite from this intense heat. The doctors are recommending staying indoors as much as possible, increasing the intake of liquids and approaching the health care centres on witnessing visible symptoms of heat stroke. 

Meanwhile, the sale of cold beverages and ice-creams in the Capital city has become bullish. People are consuming lassis and cold drinks at an exponential rate. Sudhir Jha runs a local general store in the bylanes of Bariatu.

He said, “The sale of chilled packaged drinking water, cold drinks and lassis has tripled. In lieu with the increasing demand across the city, we are even experiencing a shortage in the supplies of these coolants.”