40 degrees Celsius in April

Alarm bells are ringing after the meteorological department presaged torpid heat further aggravating in the coming days. It is estimated that the temperature may cross 40 degrees in Kerala this month. Despite the occasional solace of summer rains, the temperature was stagnant, showing no signs of going down. Even people inside the four walls of their houses are exasperated in this unprecedented summer.

People who use AC day and night will be saved from sunstroke but will not escape the wrath of KSEB’s eye-popping monthly bill.

A meeting was convened to discuss the need to coordinate the measures to be taken under various departments during the summer. The meeting assessed the possibility of a heat wave, pre-monsoon cleaning, and epidemic prevention measures. People can face many health problems during the hot season. There have been reports of sunstroke in Palakkad and Neyyattinkara. Currently, only taluk hospitals have treatment facilities for sunstroke. This will soon extend to primary health centers as well. Preventive measures should be accelerated to anticipate infectious diseases.

It is also necessary to set up special wards in government hospitals to treat diseases children develop during summer. Due to the reduced flow of water during the summer, there is a higher chance of water contamination. Therefore, people should also take special care to drink boiled water. Local bodies can collaborate with various private organizations and residents' associations to expand wetlands.

As the forest heats up during the summer, wild animals are likely to migrate to the countryside in search of water sources, so the Forest Department should take steps to provide special warnings and protection to those living on the forest peripheries.

It is important to reduce foods that increase body heat. It would be better to make fruits and other root vegetables part of daily diet. There should be interventions from Supplyco and the Department of Agriculture to prevent the prices of fruits from rising excessively. Similarly, inspections should be activated at the borders to discourage the entry of poisoned fruits into the market.

ASHA workers, who would have been at the forefront with effective measures, are still in protest negotiating with the government for better pay. The unprecedented summer couldn't have gone more wrong.