Winter is the second major reason for deaths in India after lightening, reveals a government statistics. Surprisingly, flood is the third major natural disaster.
Statistics show, till 2007, 826 people died every year due to harsh winter in India. And the death toll started to show an increasing trend after 2007 due to a cooling trend in the winter temperatures.
Statistics further reveal, the highest number of deaths were reported in 2008 and 2002, when the average minimum temperature of the country fell below 14⁰C. In 2012, over 1,000 people died due to avalanches. This year the minimum temperature had fallen to 13.6⁰C.
This year extreme cold wave in Uttar Pradesh with both maximums and minimums recording 5 to 6 degrees below the normal average has led to a number of deaths in many cities including Lucknow, Varanasi, Ballia, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Azamgarh and Ghazipur.
As Lucknow recorded the coldest day on Tuesday, with a maximum of 12.5⁰C, eight homeless people lost their lives and several others fell ill fighting the cold weather.
The city of Muzaffarnagar which has already been in the news for the large number of deaths (over 50) this winter, also reported two fresh casualties, while six children at a temporary night shelter in Shamli district were taken ill.
With the minimum temperature in Delhi hitting as low as 2⁰C (on 10th and 30th January) in some pockets, there have been confirmed reports of at least 2 deaths.
As cold waves have been sweeping across Punjab, the number of deaths since December rose to four in Amritsar.
Snowfall in Himachal Pradesh has kept the region in the grip of the winter chill leading to two deaths. Nine persons were also reported missing in the tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Chamba.
Statistics confirm this winter to be the severest in 18 years.
Photo by TheChinaWatch.
