Odisha has a history of extreme heat. In 1998, over 2,000 people died due to extreme heatwaves
When the western coast of India is preparing for Cyclone Biporjoy, the eastern coast has become a blast furnace. The state of Odisha has been reeling under heatwave conditions since April 2023 and the situation has become more intense since the first week of June.
The temperatures in Odisha are soaring above 40°C at 31 of the 38 monitoring centres of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in the state. On June 12, 2023, the western Odisha city of Sambalpur recorded a maximum temperature of 46.1°C, followed by Hirakud at 45.6°C and Subarnapur at 45°C.
IMD has issued an ‘orange alert’ for heatwave to severe heatwave across the state on June 12. The capital city of Bhubaneswar recorded a temperature of 44.3°C on June 12.
Bargarh, a town in western Odisha, recorded 44.9°C, while another five centres, including Boudh, Balangir, Titlagarh, Nayagarh and Talcher, recorded 44°C each.
Heatwave conditions began in Odisha in mid-April and continued through May, but from June, it became more severe. Since the first week of the month, most IMD centres have consistently recorded temperatures above 40°C.
While Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Titlagarh have recorded above 45°C on different days, many other centres have too consistently recorded above 44°C. Due to extreme heat conditions, roads are deserted by 9 am in several parts of Odisha, especially in the western parts of the state.
The special relief commissioner has asked the people to take precautionary measures while venturing out between 11 am and 3.30 pm.
Odisha has a history of extreme heat. In 1998, over 2,000 people died due to extreme heatwaves. However, since then, fatalities have reduced to a large extent due to measures taken by the state government.
The constant government interventions did manage to limit the fatalities due to heatwaves to two digits except for 2005 and 2010, when 237 and 109 people died, respectively.
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