In quest for water, 12-yr-old dies of heatstroke

A 12-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Beed district dropped dead from heatstroke after struggling to fetch water, state police officials said.The police have confirmed that Yogita Ashok Desai, a Class V student, had died from dehydration caused by excessive heat. She was out since early morning fetching water from a hand pump and collapsed on her fifth trip. The day temperature in Beed is 44°C. Officials said many people had been hospitalised after suffering from heat-related ailments. Most of them fell ill after trying to fetch water in Maharashtra’s worst-affected region. The authorities have stopped distributing piped water and have resorted to supplying water by tankers. Supply is erratic and many villages are said to be receiving water once every fortnight.