Heat surge: Over 160 emergencies every day

AHMEDABAD: It’s raining fire in the city. According to data released by EMRI 108, April 27 reported the highest number of emergencies in four days, at 170. The previous high was 183 reported on April 23. April 28, considered to be the hottest day of the season so far, recording 42.4°C, reported close to 100 emergencies till 5pm.

“The pattern of emergencies has remained almost the same. If we take the example of April 27, abdominal pain (39) made up the highest number of emergencies, closely followed by unconsciousness (36), fall (33), fainting (19), vomiting (16), chest pain (12), dehydration (9) and blood pressure fluctuation (6),” said an EMRI official, adding that the cases are received even after evening. “Other major emergency, not reported in the day, is of ENT bleeding,” he said.

Ahmedabad heads the tally of Gujarat’s four major cities. More often than not, the city alone reports more emergencies than the three cities combined. Officials said that there are two explanations. “There are 24 108 ambulances, the highest for a single city,” said an official. “Moreover, being the economic capital of the state, the city sees more activity during peak afternoon hours.”

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), April 27 recorded the temperature of 42.4°C which will climb to 43°on Sunday and is expected to remain stagnant till May 1. In Gujarat, Rajkot was the hottest city (43°C) followed by Gandhinagar and Surendranagar, both reporting 42.7°C.