Sizzling heat may have claimed 25 lives in Maharashtra, highest in six years

MUMBAI: As many as 25 people are suspected to have died due to heatstroke in Maharashtra this year which is the highest in six years, as per the data from the health department.

The last time Maharashtra witnessed a high number of heatstroke deaths was in 2016 when 19 people died due to heatstroke.

A total of 381 cases of heatstroke were reported to the health department till May 1, 2022.

The highest number of deaths due to heatstroke has been reported in Nagpur with 11 deaths, followed by 5 in Aurangabad and 4 in Nashik.

Nagpur division has 300 cases which are the highest in the state. Dr Jayanta Sarkar, Head of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Mumbai said that the isolated parts of north Madhya Maharashtra will experience a heatwave between May 4 to May.

The isolated parts of north Madhya Maharashtra which comprises Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon and Ahmednagar districts will experience a heatwave between May 4 to May 6.

Other regions like Konkan and Goa area, Marathwada and South Madhya Maharashtra will not see any heatwave-like conditions.

Dr Sarkar further said though Marathwada will not experience a heatwave the maximum temperature in the region will remain high and close to 40 degrees Celsius or above.

"The reason of heatwave in north Madhya Maharashtra is because of warm and dry waves from northwest India and western disturbances which is the main source of rainfall during this period, have been largely dry," Dr Sarkar added.

For the past few weeks, parts of the country have been reeling under intense heatwave with the mercury soaring high and average maximum temperature reaching 35.9 and 37.78 degrees Celsius in the northwest and central India respectively.