Amidst blistering wind, soaring temperature, scorching heat now the twin cities of Bokaro and Dhanbad are also reeling under an acute power and water crisis. Due to technical snags, there are prolonged power cuts for 12-14 hours every day in most parts of the districts. People stayed indoors due to the sizzling condition as the mercury touched 46 degrees Celsius.
Due to the soaring mercury and over-exploitation of ground water, the water table in various districts of the State has gone remarkably down. Many hand pumps are lying defunct in many parts of the State. Water levels have also depleted in the Damoder river. The PHED Dhanbad has demanded release of water from Tenughat dam to minimise the water crisis in the district, told an official.
About 110 water sources like rivers, ponds and waterfalls have dried up in Jharkhand posing water crisis in many parts of the State, told the official. According to weather scientists, the slowness of the monsoon is responsible for sub-normal moisture incursion into the air over the city, resulting in low humidity.
The maximum temperature hit about 46 degrees celsius around noon, which in combination with humidity high of 61 per cent made for a day miserable not only for the human beings but for the animals too.
Several animals (including at zoo’s) across the twin cities have taken ill because of the heat waves. “They are suffering from dehydration and frequently vomiting. Meanwhile, the zoo authorities claim the animals are being given oral rehydration solutions and plenty of cold water, around of the zoo on Monday revealed a shortage of water in several enclosures.
Dozens of the people are getting admitted in hospitals in the twin cities with symptoms of sun stroke.
The common symptoms of heat stroke are a dry, coated tongue, sunken eyes and protruding jawbones. “However, a post-mortem report is the only confirmation of the death due to sunstroke,” said a Government hospital authority at Bokaro.