High-level heatwave meeting: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review steps as weather-related deaths rise

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will chair a high-level meeting on Tuesday morning to review public health preparedness regarding heatwave across the country, ANI reported citing sources. The meeting is likely to be held at 11:30 am and will be attended by Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), Dr Rajiv Bahl, NITI Aayog, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), along with India Meteorological Department (IMD) experts.

This comes as severe heat conditions have caused several deaths in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other areas over the last few days. On Sunday, India Today reported that at least 98 people had died in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to severe heat in the last three days. While 54 people died in UP, 44 people lost their lives due to the extremely hot weather in Bihar.  

In its update on Monday, the IMD, said that heat wave conditions are very likely to continue in some pockets over East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana during the next two days "and abatement of heatwave conditions thereafter".

The weather office said that maximum temperatures were in the range of 42-44 degrees over parts of Odisha, west Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and East Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.  

On Sunday, the Odisha government confirmed the first heat wave-related death and sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 for the deceased's family. The victim was a middle-aged person from the Balasore district, a senior official at the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) office said on Sunday, adding that the state has so far received allegations of 20 deaths due to heat waves.

The capital city of Bhubaneswar on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 33.2 degree Celsius and overall humidity level of 76 per cent by 8.30 am, IMD said. Jharsuguda logged the highest maximum temperature of 37.4 degrees, followed by 36.4 in Sambalpur at 8.30 am on Sunday.

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