Record-Breaking Heatwave in Bihar Kills 20

Patna: A severe heatwave has claimed the lives of 20 people in Bihar within the last 24 hours. The victims, who include sub-inspectors, havildars, home guard jawans, and teachers, were from ten districts across the state. Despite a severe heatwave alert issued on Thursday, a sudden change in weather brought rain to several areas by evening.

Heavy rainfall was reported in Bettiah, Jamui, Sitamarhi, and Shivhar on Thursday evening. Tragically, a 6-year-old girl in Panjia village, Jamui, was struck by lightning during the storm and died instantly. The Meteorological Department has since issued a rain alert for parts of Banka, Araria, Kishanganj, and Nawada districts.

Bihar’s heatwave has shattered records, with Aurangabad reaching a historic high of 48.2°C, surpassing the previous record of 47.1°C in Gaya in 1970. On Wednesday, 16 districts were under the grip of a heatwave, and the temperature exceeded 45°C in 11 districts.

The Meteorological Department has issued alerts for 14 districts, including Aurangabad, Arwal, Patna, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Nawada, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Begusarai, Buxar, and Kaimur, warning of high night temperatures and continued heatwave conditions. A yellow alert for heatwaves has also been issued for Khagaria, Munger, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Banka, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, and both East and West Champaran. On Wednesday, temperatures in 24 districts surpassed 40°C.

The heatwave has severely impacted those on election duty. In Buxar, five teachers assigned to election duty fell ill due to the heatwave, resulting in one fatality during treatment. These teachers were at the Beri High School Dispatch Center for the Rajpur Assembly constituency. Their conditions deteriorated rapidly, causing a commotion at the center. They were promptly taken to Sadar Hospital, where one teacher succumbed to the heat, and four others remain in critical condition.

In the Bikram police station area of Patna, Ajay Kishore Sharan, a physical fitness educator with the Health Department and a resident of Dariyapur, Patna, died due to the heatwave while on election duty. Additionally, three workers from the same area were hospitalized. More than six polling personnel in Danapur have also fallen ill from the heat and are receiving medical treatment.

In Nalanda, Ramesh Prasad, a home guard jawan from Nautan police station in Siwan district, died after collapsing on a college campus. Despite efforts to revive him at Bihar Sharif Sadar Hospital, he was pronounced dead. The police have initiated post-mortem procedures to determine the exact cause of death, and his family has been notified.

On Wednesday, four police personnel suffered from heatwave-related health issues while on election duty in Nalanda. This included Priyanka Kumari from Jehanabad, Amisha Kumari from Rohtas, Janardan Prasad from Ara, and traffic constable Brijesh Krishna.