Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Amid prevailing heatwave conditions death toll due to alleged sunstroke in the state Tuesday touched 109 with 10 new cases being reported to special relief commissioners’s office.
According the Met department sources, 14 towns in the state recorded a maximum temperature above 40°Celsius during the day out of which seven stations recorded temperature above 44°Celsius. The highest temperature of 46.5°C was recorded at Subarnapur followed by Bolangir at 46.0°C and Titilagarh at 45.5° C.
Met officials said thunderstorm accompanied by hail and gusty surface winds with speed reaching up to 60KMPH are likely to occur at one or two places in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar Dhenkanal, Angul, Jajpur, Nayagarh and Kandhamal districts during next 48 hours.
Special relief commissioner (SRC) PK Mohapatra said so far reports regarding death of 109 persons due to sun-stroke have been received from different sources.
“On enquiry, death in eight cases has been confirmed to be due to sunstroke. In 40 cases, the death has occurred due to other reasons. The remaining 63 cases are under enquiry,” he said. As per report of the health and family welfare department, 60 patients with heat-related complaints were treated in various hospitals till Tuesday.
Mohapatra said 537 tankers have been engaged and 1212 syntex tanks placed to meet the requirement of water supply in urban areas. Similarly, 926 tankers have been engaged in rural areas for supply of water in dry areas.
Of the 345 complaints from urban areas related to drinking water, 275 complaints were attended to. Of the 71 complaints received from rural areas, 65 have been resolved, he added.
Met sources said the entire western Orissa continued to sizzle under gruelling heatwave as the mercury touched 46.5°C in Sonepur, which was followed by 46°C in Bolangir in the region.
The temperature in Titilagarh which recorded 48.5°C Sunday dropped to 45.5°C, while Bhawanipatna recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2°C followed by 45°C in Sambalpur. The mercury stood at 44.6°C in Hirakud and 44.5°C in Jharsuguda.
As the coastal belt experienced slight respite from the searing heat following light rainfall in a couple of places, capital Bhubaneswar recorded 38.9°C, down from 39.2°C recorded Monday.
Similarly, the maximum temperature stood at 36.6°C in Cuttack and 36.2°C in Balasore, the MeT office said.
It said there was no major change in temperatures in the state and they remained appreciably above normal over interior Orissa.