Delhi’s heatwave has claimed its first victim, a 40-year-old man from Bihar’s Darbhanga, who died of a heat stroke in the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital.
Breaking all of its previous records, Delhi’s temperature on Wednesday peaked at 52.3 degrees Celsius. However, BJP leader Kiren Rijiju said that it is unusual for the mercury to cross the 50-degree mark. Therefore, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is currently verifying the reports.
Meanwhile, parts of Delhi and Noida received showers on Wednesday bringing some respite to residents.
What happened to the man?
The 40-year-old man who was pronounced dead had been living in Delhi for the past five years and was working at a factory manufacturing pipeline fittings. He was brought in by his roommate and other factory workers post-midnight on Monday.
The doctor treating him at the hospital said that the man had been accommodated in a room with no fan or a cooler and due to the extreme heat he developed a very high fever. “His body temperature shot up above 107 degrees Fahrenheit,” the doctor said.
“He (the patient) remained in the Heat Stroke Unit till Tuesday evening. He was shifted to the ward on Wednesday morning. His condition suddenly deteriorated. He died around 3 pm,” the doctor added.
RML currently has a few more patients in its Heat Stroke Unit, most of whom belong to the low-income groups. One of these patients works at a plastic pellet manufacturing company and lives on a floor above a house unequipped with an AC or cooler.
IMD issues orange alert
The weather department has downgraded the threat alert from red to orange after the city received light showers on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, IMD has also predicted that Delhi may experience partly cloudy weather conditions on Thursday adding that there it might rain lightly with chances of a thunderstorm.
Temperatures will decrease by 2 or 3 degrees.
Link to article –
First heatwave death in Delhi this season, 40 YO factory worker from Bihar dies of heat stroke
