Heat Waves claim 80 lives in state

Deadly heat waves from the north western part of the country have claimed 80 lives so far in the state. However, the official estimates put the toll at a much lower figure of 20.

Heat wave is described as a condition where temperature in an area hovera round 45 degree Celsius for consecutive two days. Though in coastal Odisha the mercury oscillated from 42 degree to 45 degree, in the western belt, it stayed above 45 degree Celcius for last few days.

At least, 17 places in the state have recorded maximum temperature between 40 to 46 degrees Celsius last week with Sambalpur becoming the hottest place as mercury soared to 46 degrees there.

Since human body is capable to tolerate 37 degree Celcius heat, anything beyond it causes disorders in health conditions and death, also known as sun stroke.

“It seems the prevailing heat wave condition will stay for one or two days more and thereafter thunderstorms may occur in one or two places in the state,” The Bhubaneswar branch of Indian Meteorological Department said on Sunday.

The temperature across Odisha has gone up due to hot winds from Haryana and Rajasthan, weather experts said.

Meanwhile, soaring mercury has necessitated higher power demand causing huge deficit in power supply. The state-run power trader Gridco has blamed lower hydro power generation for the widening power supply gap even as large number of people, particularly in rural areas, reel under unscheduled power cuts.

“Power demand has gone up this summer compared to previous years. The average demand is between 2,700 to 2,800 MW currently in the state, which is much higher than OERC (Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission) approval of 2,635 MW,” said P K Pradhan, commercial director with Gridco recently.

Even though hydro power generation does not contribute significantly to meet the state’s power demand, cash-strapped Gridco depends on it heavily due to its low cost and easier availability

“The combined hydro power generation from all the units stands at around 210 MW these days, which is half of what we used to produce couple of years ago. All the hydro power units are operating with minimum water levels at their respective reservoirs,” he said.