Bhubaneswar: At least three persons have died in “heat wave-related incidents” in Odisha this month, as large parts of the state continued to reel under hot and humid conditions, officials said Friday.
According to the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) Office, reports of 16 deaths due to sunstroke have so far been received by the government in May.
“Of the 16 cases, the district collectors concerned have confirmed three deaths due to heat wave-related incidents. The remaining cases were under examination,” Deputy SRC Padmanav Behera told reporters.
All the three deaths were reported from the western Odisha districts of Bolangir, Sundergarh and Subarnapur, where temperatures have hovered around 40 degrees Celsius over the past one week, an official in the revenue department said.
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast that intense heat wave conditions would continue in 26 of the state’s 30 districts.
“Severe heat spell is likely to prevail in three districts of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, and Bolangir on Saturday. An ‘orange warning’ (be prepared to take action) has been issued for these three districts,” said Manorama Mohanty, the Director of Bhubaneswar IMD centre.
Similar conditions are likely in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Sundergarh, Bargarh, Angul, Sonepur, Boudh, Nayagarh, Balasore, Jajpur, Jagatsinghapur, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, and Khurda on Saturday, it said.
The IMD has also predicted thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds in 24 districts during the afternoon and evening hours of Saturday.
On Friday, at least 22 places in Odisha recorded a day temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or above.
Jharsuguda, a town in western Odisha surrounded by industries and coal mines, was the hottest place in the state, registering a temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius.
At 44.5 degrees Celsius, Boudh was the second hottest place, while Sambalpur scorched at 44.2 degrees Celsius, according to an IMD bulletin.
Capital city Bhubaneswar recorded a temperature of 37.7 degrees Celsius, while Cuttack registered 36.6 degrees Celsius.
PTI
