Kharghar heatstroke deaths: Four avoidable lapses that led to tragedy

The loss of lives could have been averted had the organisers taken care of basic details and provided water during the ceremony a police officer who was on duty at the event told midday on condition of anonymity1 The event was delayedThe award ceremony was scheduled to start at 1030 am according to the plan it was to conclude in an hour and thirty minutes However not only was the programme delayed by almost 40 minutes it was stretched beyond the schedule It started at 1110 am and ended at 115 pm more than two hours laterWhat could have been doneItrsquos a wellknown fact that summers have become unusually hot for a few years Keeping this in mind the event could have been organised either early morning before 7 am or late evening after 6 pmNearly half of the attendees had access to just one exit2 They didnrsquot have drinking water for hoursThe arrangement for drinking water was made outside the venue with water tankers parked on the road and CIDCO pipelines fitted with taps but was insufficient for lakhs of people who rushed towards J Kumar circle And because of that people had no way of quenching their thirst even after the event ended During the peak of day they sat under the sun for hours When they finally got a chance to get to the tankers and taps overcrowding prevented them from getting water Many were hesitant to drink water directly from pipes fitted to tankersAlso read Sunstroke tragedy Attendees suffered dehydration as water in tankers at Navi Mumbai venue became hotWhat could have been doneWater bottles should have been made available inside the venue and circulated among the attendees3 Single exit for 6037 attendeesAfter the event 506037 attendees headed towards J Kumar circle where buses were waiting to ferry them to the nearest railway station the highway or parking lots With people having to walk 15 kms many fell unconscious The ambulance and medical team could not reach them as the roads were jampacked with people and stranded buses A makeshift medical setup was arranged behind the main stage opposite Tata hospital but was over 1 km away from J Kumar circle The GurudwaraTata hospital road which was closed for VVIP movement was opened to the public only at 3 pmWhat could have been doneThe GurdwaraTata hospital road should have been opened as soon as the VIPs left around 115 pm If opened this entire stretch could have been used by the attendees to exit the venue without any hassle4 Only 3 entryexit points for lakhsFor the huge International Corporate Park there were only a few entry and exit points for the attendees While 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the crowd entered from the north side of the ground CISF quarters and Taloja jail 20 per cent to 25 per cent arrived from the entry on the side of Ranjan pada in Sector 27 Between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of the attendees entered and exited the venue from J Kumar circle Also the road connecting Gurudwara and Tata hospital was fully sealed for the public only VVIPs were allowed access People had started arriving at the venue on Saturday night and this continued until next morning even after the event started and many were reluctant to move out of their seat due to fear of rush and getting lost Water and makeshift toilets were arranged at the venue but no shed was erected for the publicWhat could have been doneThe organisers could have opened more entry and exit points for such a huge crowd Also proper signage and markings should have been erected as many people had come to the venue for the first time and were struggling to move aroundHow people get heatstrokeDr Pankaj Titar a practising physician at Kharghar said ldquoHeatstroke happens when the temperature of the body goes above 4006 degree Celsius that is 1051 F it is a dangerous condition which if not received intervention can cause vital organ failure unconsciousness organ damage and death Symptoms include hyperthermia behavioral changes confusion delirium dizziness weakness agitation combativeness slurred speech nausea and vomiting etcrdquoDr Dilip Malvankar proposed a heatstroke action plan and recently predicted the cases of heart stroke to increase from March 1 The government should give more attention to the Malvankar Action plan The cases of deaths due to heatstroke have been increasing since 2004 hence the orientation of the medical team towards handling scenarios at such a big event should have taken placeDrills for heatstroke heart attack cerebral stroke sudden choking and CPR should have been performed and protocols should have been established regarding situational emergencies This is how EMT and emergency medical services appointed by governments overseas perform tasks They work on high value intervention and transporting the patient at the same time Such situational simulations in the area where an event is scheduled result in quicker action which eventually save livesWhat Dr Titar saysgtgt Our ability to deal with heat depends on the strength of our nervous system which plays an important role in thermoregulation This strength declines in elderly hence elderly people should not exert themselves in heatgtgt Avoiding sudden exposure to increasing heat eg during a heat wave in summer one must avoid exposure for a long time in the afternoongtgt People on certain medication which narrow the vessels regulate the blood pressure by blocking adrenalin rid the body of sodium and water and antipsychotics such people are at greater risk of heat strokegtgt Wear loose fitting and light clothesgtgt Sunburn reduces bodyrsquos ability to cool itself hence wear wide brimmed hats glasses and apply SPF 15 sunscreengtgt Drink plenty of fluidsgtgt Invest time in getting acclimated by slow exposure one can condition oneself to work in heat so take it slowgtgt Never leave your children or animals in a parked car where the temperature increases by 11 degreeslsquoCops were wearyrsquoA Shree Sadasya volunteer requesting anonymity said crowd management could have been better Cops and volunteers were exhausted just like the attendees as they had been on bandobast since Saturday evening01No of entryexit used by nearly 6037 attendees