Bathinda sizzles at 47.5 degrees, highest temperature in city in 20 years

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 27

Bathinda hit a record high of 47.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, as Punjab and Haryana swelter under a heatwave sweeping the region.

Agri-met Department of the PAU regional station, Bathinda, the city has not seen high temperatures in 20 years. Wednesday’s soaring mercury beat the city’s previous record of 47.3 degree Celsius, reported June 8, 2014.

The city has been sizzling in the past few days, with mercury hovering around 45 degrees Celsius.

Infants, children, people aged 65 years or older, people working outdoors, people who have a mental illness and those who are heart patients or those who suffer from high blood pressure, are most vulnerable to the ill-effects of the heat wave.

Hospitals in the city have been seeing an increase in people with gastric problems, not uncommon in peak summer.  

Tips for summer

Here are some tips on how to cool in summer from health expert, Dr Vitul Gupta.

Drink lots of water, even if you’re not thirsty.

Wear loose, light-coloured and porous-cotton clothes

Always have sunglasses and umbrella and umbrella handy. Carry water and use a damp cloth on your head, neck and face.

Lassi (butter milk), torani (rice water) and lemon water helps keep you cool in the summer.

Keep curtains drawn in the house during the day, and keep windows and shutters open in the night.

Avoid high-protein and stale food, alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks because they dehydrate the body

Avoid switching on the air-conditioner immediately after you reach home or office. Let the body take its time to adjust to the change in temperature. Sit under a fan for at least 2-3 minutes before you switch on the fan.

Eat lots of salads and fibre-rich food and fruits to keep the body’s digestive system healthy. Avoid oily food---not only does it make one lethargic, but it also tends to generate heat in the body.