The Fury of the Sun

The disparity in official and unofficial numbers is making it difficult to tackle heat stroke-related deaths in Bihar

- Umesh Kumar Ray

ON June 17, nine-year-old Ruchi and her six-year-old sister Rakhi, residents of Sonadia village in Bhojpur district of Bihar, sneaked out of their home at 3 PM and went to a nearby mango orchard to pick mangoes. Both returned in half-an-hour, sweating profusely. Within minutes they started vomiting and had loose motions.

Vicky Choudhary, their father, got some medicines from the nearby shop, but the pills did not work. "We thought we would be able to deal with it at home, but their condition went from bad to worse," says Rakesh Choudhary, the uncle of the girls. At 4 AM, the family had to rush the girls to a government hospital. But by the time they reached, Rakhi passed away. Ruchi was admitted and her treatment started. When she started recovering, the family got her admitted to a private hospital as a precautionary measure.

The family performed the last rites of Rakhi, but no post-mortem was conducted. "That day it was very hot and Rakhi had just returned from the orchard. We assumed she had fallen sick due to the severe heat. Even the doctor at the private hospital where Ruchi was admitted said she had taken ill due to heat stroke," says their uncle Rakesh.

In the absence of a post-mortem report, Rakhi's name would not make it to the list of people who have succumbed to heat wave in Bihar in the past few days. The official figure stands at just nine. However, the unofficial numbers say more than 40 people have died so far. Hundreds are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. Choudhary, the father of Rakhi and Ruchi, works as a daily wager. He now has to give away a portion of his land on mortgage to foot the private hospital bill.

Severe Heat Wave in the North