Saurashtra heats up to 45°c

RAJKOT/PALANPUR: Intermittent rains and cloudy weather recently have been anything but a relief for people of Saurashtra and north Gujarat.
The entire region, barring the coastal areas, simmered under an intense heat wave on Sunday as temperatures soared in all major towns and cities. The mercury hovered between 42°C and 45°C, making life miserable for people.
The temperature scaled up to 45°C in Surendranagar and Amreli followed by Rajkot (44°C) and Bhuj (43°C).
The blistering heat is taking a heavy toll on the people’s health and keeping 108 emergency services teams on their toes.
According to Kartik Mehta, head, GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, Ahmedabad, which handles 108 emergency operations, they are receiving 650 heat-related emergency calls from across the state daily.
“Out of the 650 calls daily, about 350 calls are received in Saurashtra region. These include complaints of fainting, unconsciousness, chest pain, blood pressure, vomiting, dehydration, ENT bleed, abdominal pain and collapsing,” Mehta added.
“In last 16 days, we received total 438 heat-related illness calls from Rajkot alone,” he added.
On Sunday, all roads in Rajkot city wore deserted as people feared venturing out. Doctors have also advised people to avoid going out in the afternoons.
Since last one week, the highest maximum temperature has remained nearly 43°C in the region, especially in Rajkot city.
Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials issued heat wave warning for the next five days.
“Heat wave conditions would continue to prevail during the next five days in the state. The maximum temperature will be around 44°C,” said IMD official.