April is the cruellest month. Of course, it’s meant to be hot in summer but 40-plus degrees Celsius as early as April has thrown people off guard. They are sweating, panting, wilting, and with or without the government issuing warnings, will swear that the entire city is reeling under a heat wave.
Debalay Gonchowdhury says he almost blacks out riding his bike to work. “This is especially true atop flyovers. And the bike has to be parked in the shade or the seat feels like a frying pan,” says the GD Block resident. “I have to cover my face and hands to avoid sunburns but all the trapped sweat is causing my skin to break into pimples.”
The other day a friend invited Debalay to a party, “but I told him I’d go only if he kept five green coconuts for me,” he says. “I can’t drink anything else now!”
Abhradeep Banerjee says his six-year-old had been returning from school, at noon, with nosebleeds. “We parents had to complain to the authorities to change the timings and from this week they’ve started giving off early,” says the GD Block resident.
Doctor speak
Doctors are issuing stern advisories about the heat. “Thanks to the heat, my morning chambers are empty while evenings are overflowing,” smiles Dr Adrija Rahman Mukherjee, consultant physician at Apollo City Centre.
She says the first stage of heat-related problems is cramps, mostly on the calf muscles. “This happens when excessive sweating causes salt loss from the body. Most people ignore this and the condition worsens into heat exhaustion. This is a feeling of fatigue, fall in blood pressure, digestive problems etc,” she explains. “Digestion is a chemical process for which an optimal temperature is required. Otherwise, it leads to nausea or loose motion,” says the BB Block resident.
The final stage is heat stroke. “When it’s hot the brain sends signals to the glands to sweat and its evaporation from the skin cools the body. But in extreme heat, the brain is unable to do so. The trapped internal heat leads to dehydration, disoriented, nausea, and fainting,” says Rahman Mukherjee.
The criteria for heat stroke include body temperature above 104°F, usually between 105°F and 107°F. “But paracetamol will not work; intravenous fluids are required. At home, family members should wrap such a patient in wet cloth and push ice packs under the armpits to cool the body externally. If he faints, wait for him to regain consciousness and then give water and ORS,” she says.
She asks residents not to go straight from a 24°C AC room into the 40°C furnace outside, or vice versa, as the body is not able to adjust to the jump.
“Sit in a non-AC room for five to 10 minutes first. For the same reason, do not have ice cream standing in the sun,” the doctor says.
Opt for a light diet comprising fruits and vegetables high in water content. “Complex proteins like meat and eggs are tougher to digest and will strain your digestive system, which is already weakened by the high temperatures,” says Rahman Mukherjee.
Manipal Hospitals in IB Block has been offering glucose water to OPD patients who have braved the heat to reach them. “Heat stroke patients have increased of late and so have those patients with heat-related problems like digestion and dehydration. Patients with severe vomiting and gastrointestinal problems are requiring admission,” said Arindam Banerjee, hospital director.
Child care
Pediatrician Dr Abhijit Sarkar’s patients are complaining of loss of appetite, loss of energy, dehydration… “Since children have smaller bodies and higher metabolic rates, they are more prone to dehydration than adults,” says the doctor who practises in AD Block.
“Coax children into drinking more water and monitor their urine output. Those aged up to five or six years should be urinating five or six times a day. Thereafter it can reduce,” says the doctor.
He also draws caution to the ORS (oral rehydration solution) one consumes. “There are new drinks in the market that are marketed as ORS, but are nothing more than energy drinks. For decades, parents have been mixing a particular powder with water for their kids to guzzle down in the heat but, this too, is only glucose,” Sarkar explains.
“What the body needs is salt, that it is losing through sweat, but to absorb this salt the body needs sugar in a specific proportion that is maintained only in WHO-approved ORS. Colas and fizzy drinks are a big no,” he says, adding that homemade ORS can be made by mixing a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and a drop of lemon (for taste) in 200ml water.
Fruit juices are not strongly recommended either. “Juice contains fructose that, in excess, can cause diarrhoea. Instead, have the whole fruit as the fibre and fructose together are easily digestible,” Sarkar says.
Coconut water is good but sugarcane is best chewed. “Avoid having its juice at roadside stalls as the open conditions attract pollution, makes it susceptible to bacteria growth and the water used in the ice may be unclean,” he says.
Children may continue eating meat and eggs, Sarkar says, but the preparations mustn’t be oily or spicy. Curd would cool the stomach.
“The use of sunscreen reduces Vitamin D production in children so don’t use it regularly. And ensure the AC filter is clean, as trapped dust can lead to respiratory problems,” he says.
Search for relief
Doctors recommend multiple baths but this is leading to water shortage. “We usually get three to five calls a day but are now getting to 8 to 10,” says Amit Poddar, secretary of Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad that has two 5,000l water tankers plying around the township.
“Demand is, in fact, even higher but the tanks have to make trips to the Tallah tank to refill and this takes up precious time. Still, we are supplying water from as early as 5am,” he says.
Jolly Chanda, who runs the Satin Rose parlour in FE Block, says women are flocking to cut their hair short. “Back in the 90s, when we opened up, there used to be family pressure to keep long hair but now they want the neck free,” says Chanda. Men are asking for fade-out cuts, where the hair gradually shortens to a very close shave on the scalp.
The AB Block-based café, Tribe, held a Beat the Heat exhibition on Saturday showcasing hand-woven summer special clothing. “The theme clicked as all want comfortable clothes now. Footfall was great after sundown,” said Shilpa Chakraborty, co-owner of Tribe who also runs a clothing brand.
She also spoke of how gastronomic tastes have changed in the heat. “Fried items are making way for salads, grills and mocktails,” Shilpa said.
Warming Up Kids, a football coaching centre, has pushed back classes from 4 to 5pm. “Never before have we had to do this in April. We’re also offering an indoor option where students will be doing fitness training and video footage analysis of their games. Half the students have opted for the latter. A few have even taken the month off, unable to cope with the heat,” says Runa Kedia, who runs the Salt Lake branches of the centre at CB and CD Blocks.
Then some are literally escaping the heat by heading out on holidays. “The greatest demand is for cool destinations like Kashmir, Sikkim, Nainital and Arunachal Pradesh,” says Debasish Chakraborty of Wheels & Wings, a travel agency in GD Block.
Braving it
But there is no escape for some. The traffic police personnel are at the top of the list. “We cannot shirk duty. This summer is worse than earlier years and the forecast is it will continue for several more days,” said an officer posted in Sector V.
The Bidhannagar Commissionerate has deployed a vehicle across the commissionerate area which roams with water and ORS covering the main traffic signals. “For the other crossings, we have arranged to have our bike-borne sergeants supply cooling drinks to the traffic kiosks from 11am to 4pm. We have also started keeping earthen pitchers wrapped in wet red cloth there so the water remains a bit cooler. The fans in the kiosks have also been checked in a maintenance drill,” said the officer, who was earlier posted in New Town, which is notorious for lacking tree cover. “The Metro viaduct there is a blessing for us. It gives us shelter from both sun and rain.”
Last week, police commissioner Gaurav Sharma also distributed umbrella, mask, sunglass, water bottles and hand towel along with glucose and ORS among traffic police personnel. “We have procured 1,600 packets. But such is the demand that chemists are running out of glucose,” the Sector V officer said.
Also on the road are those working for the delivery apps. “Our company has given us glucose packets. We are drinking as much water as we can,” said Kunal Roy, while making a delivery in CE Block, New Town on behalf of Licious, an online meat and fish seller. A Zomato delivery boy, who did not give out his name, said the number of lunch orders has multiplied. “No one wants to leave the comfort of home or office in this heat so they are placing orders with us instead,” he said, wiping sweat off his forehead in Sector V.
Auto-rickshaw driver Raju Bagh is hardly getting any passengers in the afternoon. “The last couple of weeks there has been a slump at midday. Those who have to travel are opting for AC cabs rather than public transport,” said the autorickshaw driver on the Karunamayee–Ultadanga route, who has decided to install a mini fan in the auto like some of his colleagues.
Making hay
But some are profiting from the situation. If air-conditioners are being used round the clock, many are tripping over. And getting them repaired is now a major challenge.
Shipra Bagchi is still waiting for the local AC mechanic to turn up. “It has been over a week since I called him but he has no time. In this weather, it is killing if the AC does not work, but he says it is too hot to go to work in the morning. So he is only accepting work in the afternoon,” said the AG Block resident, who had had another mechanic promising to come “as soon as the heat subsides and it starts raining”.
An ice cream vendor has cut down on work hours but is still happy with his sales. “It is difficult to go out on the road around noon. Even if I go, I am constantly looking for shades. Sales are pretty good in the evening. Many are buying in bulk and storing in refrigerators,” said Bapi Das, an ice cream seller.
Shopping for daily necessities is a challenge. “It is so difficult to buy vegetables in this weather. Vegetables are drying up due to excessive heat. If this is just the beginning of summer, I shudder to think what will happen next month,” exclaimed Roshni Bajaj, a BD Block resident.
Additional reporting by Sudeshna Banerjee and Shatadipa Bhattacharya