KOLKATA: A 40-year-old ASHA worker in Hooghly died while attending a training programme due to complications apparently caused by heat conditions. Post mortem will be carried on the deceased to ascertain the exact cause behind the death.
The victim, Purnima Pal went to Tarakeswar for training from Polba in Hooghly. She fell ill at the training center. She was declared dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.
People in all South Bengal districts have already been witnessing high humidity levels and temperature also remains on the higher side in March this year. People in South Bengal have been experiencing sweltering heat with mercury hovering around 35 degree Celsius. In some western districts the temperature already touched 39. Incidentally, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) in its report said that average temperature in South Bengal districts will go up by 1.5 degree Celsius. The doctors have urged people not to go in the sun unnecessarily. People must cover their head and face while going out in the sweltering heat. People should take 8 to10 glasses of water during the day. One must avoid having cold water immediately after returning home from the sun, the doctors prescribed.
Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre said that the weather would remain dry in the next couple of days in South Bengal. The sky may remain cloudy in East Midnapore and Jhargram. The temperature in those districts is 3-4 degrees higher than normal. There may be some scattered rainfall in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Some of the districts in neighbouring Odisha have already crossed 41 degree Celsius. The weather experts are apprehending that the highest temperature in Bengal may touch the highest point by crossing the previous records.