Severe heat kills three in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: At least three people have died in “heat wave-related incidents” in Odisha this month, officials said on Friday, as large parts of the state grappled with heat and humidity.
According to the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) office, the government has received reports of 16 deaths from sunstroke so far in May. Deputy SRC Padmanav Behera told reporters, “Of the 16 cases, the respective district collectors have confirmed three deaths as heat wave-related. The remaining cases are being investigated.”
A Revenue Department official said the three deaths were reported from Bolangir, Sundargarh, and Subarnapur districts in western Odisha, where temperatures have hovered around 40 degrees Celsius for the past week.
Meanwhile, the IMD has predicted that the intense heat wave will continue in 26 of the state’s 30 districts.
Manorama Mohanty, director of the Bhubaneswar IMD center, said, “Extreme heat is expected in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, and Bolangir districts on Saturday. An ‘Orange Warning’ (be prepared for action) has been issued for these three districts.”
It stated that similar conditions are likely to prevail in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Sundargarh, Bargarh, Angul, Sonepur, Boudh, Nayagarh, Balasore, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, and Khurda on Saturday.
The IMD has also predicted thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds in 24 districts on Saturday afternoon and evening.
On Friday, at least 22 places in Odisha recorded day temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or more. Jharsuguda, a city in western Odisha surrounded by industries and coal mines, was the hottest place in the state, with a temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius.
According to the IMD bulletin, Boudh was the second hottest place at 44.5 degrees Celsius, while Sambalpur recorded a temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius.
The capital city of Bhubaneswar recorded a temperature of 37.7 degrees Celsius, while Cuttack recorded a temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius.
