Bhubaneswar: Twenty people died due to sunstroke in Odisha over the last three days as the state was reeling under intense heatwave conditions, an official statement said. Since Friday (May 31), a total of 99 suspected sunstroke deaths were reported by different districts. After post-mortem and inquiry, 20 were confirmed as sunstroke deaths, while two deaths happened due to other causes, said the statement issued by the state’s Special Relief Commission. An investigation is underway in the rest of the cases, it added.
Prior to this, 42 suspected sunstroke deaths were reported, and of them six cases were confirmed, and it was found that another six deaths happened due to other causes, the statement said.
The deaths were mostly reported from Bolangir, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Sonepur, Sundergarh and Balasore districts, officials said.
Also Read: No Respite From Heat Wave In Large Parts Of India, Barmer Sizzles At 48.8 Degrees Celsius
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu reviewed the situation with the district collectors on Sunday.
They instructed the district administrations to implement the advisory on heatwave, and take precautionary measures. The districts were also asked to ensure post-mortem examination of every suspected sunstroke death for sanction of compensation.
Also, a joint inquiry by the local revenue officer and the local medical officer needs to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of each death, officials said.
Issuing an ‘orange’ alert, the IMD said heatwave conditions are very likely to prevail in Bargarh and Bolangir till Tuesday morning. It also issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Kalahandi, Nuapada and Sonepur districts.
Apart from this, the IMD said that the hot and humid weather conditions are likely in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati.
The coastal districts of the state received heavy rains on Monday night, brining down the mercury in the region.
With temperatures hovering above 42 degrees Celsius in 13 different locations across Odisha coupled with high humidity levels, the state government on Friday advised people to remain indoors from 11 am to 3 pm for the next three days. According to the IMD’s Bhubaneswar centre, Titlagarh town registered the highest temperature in the state at 46.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Bolangir (46.4), Sonepur (46.2) and Bargarh (46).
Three other towns in western Odisha, namely Jharsuguda, Bhawanipatna, and Nuapada, also experienced scorching temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius each. The maximum temperature at Hirakud was 44.7 degrees Celsius, while Boudh reached 44 degrees Celsius.
Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cities recorded relatively normal temperatures of 34 and 35 degrees Celsius during the day. However, the humidity levels remained high, ranging from 74 to 86 per cent in the twin cities, officials said.
Manorama Mohanty, director of Bhubaneswar meteorological centre, said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions, along with warm nights, are expected to persist in many districts of the state over the next three days.
The IMD centre has issued a heatwave warning for several districts including Bolangir, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Nuapada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh, and Kandhamal for Saturday.
Additionally, hot and humid weather conditions are anticipated in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Keonjhar districts on June 1.
In light of the heatwave warning, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu has urged people to remain indoors during peak hours from 11 am to 3 pm over the next three days. He also warned of stringent legal action against contractors and other agencies engaging workers during these peak hours.
Furthermore, the SRC advised people to cover their heads and use wet cloths, hats, or umbrellas when venturing outside during the daytime.
Meanwhile, the state health department has instructed heads of various public healthcare facilities to ensure proper management of heat-related cases, surveillance, and proactive measures to mitigate the risks of morbidity and mortality due to the heatwave.
Also Read: No Respite From Heat Wave In Large Parts Of India, Barmer Sizzles At 48.8 Degrees Celsius
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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