According to the health authorities, the state reported a total of 181 heat stroke cases from March 1 till April 30 in 2024. In March, 27 cases of heat stroke were reported, and in April, 154 cases were recorded. Among the districts, Nashik recorded 21, Wardha 19, and 10 each in Jalna and Sindhudurg. Solapur reported 13 cases of heat stroke, while Pune reported 7 cases.
36 of 51 major Indian cities had three or more days above the 37 degrees Celsius, threshold since voting for Lok Sabha election 2024 began, while 18 cities experienced over 40 degrees Celsius for more than three days in April, according to the data reported by Indian Express.
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Dr Harshal Salve, an additional professor at Community Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, told The Indian Express that increasing construction activity and concrete roads are some of the factors contributing to the urban heat island effect. Local civic bodies must implement dust-settling measures like sprinkling water on the roadside.
“The difference in temperature between urban and less-developed rural areas has to do with how well the surfaces in each environment absorb and hold heat. With climate change and so much construction in urban and semi-urban areas, this UHI phenomenon is going to worsen. We need to be proactive to deal with it,” Dr Harshal Pandve, professor and head of the Department of Community Medicine, Pimpri Chinchwad YCM, told the Indian Express newspaper.
Experts say that severe heat waves can exacerbate chronic health conditions, vector-borne diseases, air pollution, drought, and other socio-economic pressures, resulting in higher mortality and morbidity.