North Karnataka districts singe at 43º C; experts want heat wave declared state disaster

Kalaburagi: Several parts of North Karnataka including Kalaburagi, Raichur and Vijayapura districts are experiencing a heat wave with the temperature touching nearly 43º C in the region. 

This has been posing a threat to the health of vulnerable populations like the elderly, children and the sick.

People in rural areas face more challenges due to lack of basic facilities including drinking water and electricity supply. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a further rise in temperature.

Experts have demanded that the government notify the heat wave as a ‘state disaster’ like the Tamil Nadu government did last year.

Declaring it as a state calamity would enable the government to access state disaster relief funds for compensating those affected, besides being better prepared to face the situation.

The health department has issued guidelines to create awareness among the people to protect themselves from excess heat.

Experts said there was no action plan in place to help the vulnerable population in Kalyana Karnataka, a region already hit by malnutrition among children and high maternal mortality rates.

Doubts are being raised on whether the department was equipped with a proper mechanism to identify and report heat wave-related deaths.

Kalaburagi district health officer Sharanabasappa Kyatanal denied any patients being admitted to the hospital due to heat wave so far.

He said a warning has been issued to the public to stay indoors between 12 noon and 3 pm due to rising temperatures.

“We have advised people to adopt protective measures like wearing cotton clothes, caps. Children and the aged are prone to dehydration. Therefore, we have kept adequate stocks of ORS powder and other medicines in the primary health centres and government hospitals, apart from reserving beds for the needy. We have also distributed posters and other publicity material on precautionary measures, to the panchayats,” Kyatanal said.

“The government is neglecting people in the region, who suffer due to high temperature every summer. Focus should be on monitoring the health of people, especially in rural areas, where there are issues with drinking water supply and electricity supply, as load-shedding is common here. The health department should form teams at the village level to provide immediate treatment to people suffering from heat wave,” educationalist Sangeetha Kattimani said.

Education expert Z N Jagirdar said the decision of the department of education and literacy in Kalaburagi division to conduct half-day classes during holidays in May for students entering class 10 would pose hardship to them due to the harsh weather as government schools lack basic facilities.

Basavaraj Biradar, technical officer at the agriculture research station of IMD, said the average normal temperature in the region was 39 degree Celsius in March.

Heat wave could be declared if temperature is 4 degree Celsius above normal, he added.