Consequent to the decision of the committee at the earlier first meeting on 26^th July 2003, it was decide to have interactive session with the families of the deceased due to heat wave deaths. Accordingly the state government planned for tour of the committee on 28.8.2003. The tour was undertaken by some of the members, including the undersigned. Dr. J. V. M. Naidu, along with the other members of the committee in the absence of the chairman Dr. R. K. Pachaury the personal interviews were conducted. However, his nominee Ms. Atreyi Paul brought some questionnaire to be filled during the interview with the family members of the deceased. The questionnaire was subsequently modified suiting to the local conditions and the data were collected.

1. MRO Office, Choutuppal

The meeting was attended by the district collector, R.P. Sisodia who requested the members of the committee to interact with the local officials from various departments like Health, Panchayat Raj and Irrigation etc. before proceeding to the visit to the villages. The undersigned addressed the gathering on the information that is to be elicited during the interactive session such as occurrence of death place and time, medical aid, information of heat wave warning, the socio economic conditions of the family, the climatological input, employment program etc. Dr. C. V. V. Bhadram, of IMD requested for revival of part time observatories at Collector’s office, Nalgonda. Dr. Raji Reddy of Agricultural University requested the gathering that drought resistant orchards cultivation to be taken up. Officials informed that several mango orchards and palm trees of several decades old died of excessive heat wave, which was not experienced for last five decades. Several birds died, and fallen to the ground from treetops. Collector pointed out due to the large barren hills located right in the district head quarters and other areas radiated more heat, which increased the death toll. He also presented some temperature data from Suryapeta division of the district which was monitored by locals indicating that the maximum temperature had gone to 40^oC and above for several days in the months of April and May till June 12, the peak value was 49^oC. The ground water table also reduced to a record low of about 16 m deep in the month of May. The rainfall in Nalgonda district right from November till May was nil but for 12% of the normal (6 mm against 11.8 mm of district average). The death toll due to heat wave was predominantly the agricultural labour. Most of these people belong to schedule castes and backward castes as given in the table.

 

 

2. Panchayat Office, S. Lingotam

Visited the village and interviewed three family members of the deceased. Out the three death cases that were reported, one was a cook, another was a Sheppard. All the three belong to the backward community and working as agriculture and a cook. All the three people reported the symptoms of high feaver and died within few hours of showing the symptoms. They also were vomiting and loose motions in the evening and dead by late night. One of the deceased had problem in urination. All these symptoms, the family members took lightly as the routine There was no transport available to take them to hospital which was about 7 km away at Choutuppal. The para medical staff were located at about 4 km away for any consultation and advice.

3. Panchayat Office, Kuntlagudem

The son and wife of the family members of two deceased were interviewed. One of them was a Sheppard and other an agriculture labour who died by evening at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. respectively after reporting the symptoms of extreme dehydration due to vomiting and loose motions. Here also the locals did not suspect that their death is likely during the next 4-5 hours after reporting the symptoms. They also reported cessation of urine. The village is more affected due to fluoride contamination. The district Health Officer reports that due to fluoride problems many are affected with kidney problems and repeated urinary infections in the summer. Renal stones aggravating the sunstroke would have caused the renal shock, which resulted in immediate death after few hours of sunstroke.

4. Panchayat Office, Tangadapalli

In this village, the sons of the two deceased were interviewed. One of the deceased is a dhobi, a lady who regularly used to wash clothes in the hot sun while the other is a weaver who has worked outdoor clearing and dying the cotton threads to under take weaving under a iron sheet roof. Both the people died the next day morning after reporting cessation of urine and high feaver. The medical was available 2 km away could not be given due to financial problem and lack of transport that was not available at night when the condition of the patient was deteriorating. District Medical Officer admits that it could be another case of renal shock due to sunstroke.

5. MRO Office, Choutuppal

From the above enquiries the following causes are being identified for the death of the sunstroke victims who succumbed within a few hours period after reporting symptoms like high feaver cessation of urine, vomiting and loose motions.

1. The sunstroke deaths occurred whenever the temperatures exceeded 40^oC.
2. Out of the total deaths 125 were males and 55 were females out of 180.
3. The people died were mostly the labour working outdoor belong to poor families on whom the family depended for living.
4. The cause of majority of the deaths is due to sunstroke aggravated by renal failure.
5. The death occurred within a few hours after reporting the symptoms.
6. Lack of awareness, first aid and consulting a Doctor resulted in large deaths.

(first aid measures like giving oral rehydration salts or cold water foaming would have helped the victims against sunstroke before getting the medical aid.)

7. Lack of transport facilities.
8. Radiation heating from several barren and black boulders from several hillocks nearby.
9. Lack of drinking water supplies at the place of outdoor working.
10. Lack of proper dissemination of Heat Wave warnings.

1. Due to the failure of monsoon rains and subsequent cessation of rains from November 2002 resulted in dry and hot winds blowing during third and fourth weeks of May and first week of June 2003 resulted in prolonged Heat Waves. The district actual rainfall since June 2002 to May 2003 was reported to be about 45 cm against the normal of 75 cm. It is suggested that such a depletion in moisture is observed due to failure of rains, the government may monitor continuously on day to day basis, the likely heat waves conditions which can be disseminated to all the nook and corners of the district through Press, Electronic Media, AIR or Public Addressing system at least a day before the occurrence of the heat wave conditions.
2. Awareness to the people on the heat stroke disaster may be created with both audio and visual media besides publication in local news papers about the prevention and dos and do nots during and after the affect of sunstroke which include the first aid measures.
3. During the summer as the ground water level is depleting the concentration of fluorides and viral pathogens increases, which normally results as diarrhea or high feaver which are the similar symptoms in the case of sunstroke. So, measures may be taken to decrease the fluoride content and necessary water treatment to avoid infection and renal failures.
4. The deaths occurred mainly due to sunstroke to the earning member of the family. They all died due to the natural disaster, which may be treated for necessary financial assistance.
5. As lack of transport is one of the common cause in shifting the sunstroke victim, small vehicles like auto rikshaw which can maneuver through kutcha roads may be kept along with the local government hospitals so that it can be used as a pickup vehicle for the victims.
6. To meet the costs of medicines and other facilities community medical insurance for each village on subsidized rates can be taken up by the government. In the case of loss of life, the deceased family can be provided with financial benefits
7. Working hours during the months of May and June for all the outdoor labour can be restricted up to noon avoiding the outdoor work during the afternoon between 2 to 4 p.m. when the heat waves blow at maximum temperatures.
8. Nalgonda district is more prone to barren hills, which reradiate the heat aggravating the heat wave conditions. Also after the boulders are heated they exchange heat with the descending air in downward direction affecting the near by villages due to prolonged heat waves in the day. (The heat waves prevail during clear sky conditions. Due to downward mountain winds compressional warming can occur increasing the temperature of the winds as they descend the slopes)

So, it is proposed a green belt area around all the hills may be developed which can control the heat waves to certain extent. Wild creepers may also be grown which can cover the boulders in controlling reradiation effects.

9. Tank and watershed management should be taken up so as to optimize water availability for drinking purposes for the animals and people besides improving the ground water table. For this purpose in this drought prone district rainwater harvesting can be done by methods like cloud seeding during monsoons to augment rainfall and preserve the water storage to meet the contingency for the subsequent drought periods.
10. Since, there are o regular meteorological observatories it is difficult to estimate the length of the heat wave period and also to issue necessary forecast. At present most of the mandal revenue offices have rain gauges to measure the rainfall. With little more investment maximum and minimum thermometers also can be installed which can give the data on heat and cold waves besides serving many other agricultural requirements such as agronomical practices, preservation, harvesting etc.
11. Wide dissemination of the heat wave warnings should be carried out at least a day advance so that outdoor working periods are curtailed.
12. All the residential colonies have to be provided with power supply so as to run fans so as to contain the scorching heat inside the concrete buildings.
13. Non-governmental organizations may be encouraged to provide drinking water facility in the towns along with free supply of oral rehydrating salts.
14. In each village a few voluntary youth may be identified to get trained in providing first aid to sunstroke victims and keep stock of oral rehydration salts for immediate distribution to the victims of sunstroke.

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