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Heat wave in Orissa

Bibhuti Mishra

Heat wave has started raging in Orissa again. Bhubaneswar, with temperatures above 40 degree Celsius, looks on its way to become the hottest city in the country.

Last year the number of people who died in the heat wave was 2,109. The state government had to spend over Rs 20 million for relief.

The temperatures, expected on an average to be higher by 4 degree Celsius, may cross 50 degree Celsius in May. Cities like Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur are already in the grip of the wave -- in fact, authorities say two people have died in the past few days.

On March 9 last year, the temperature in Bhubaneswar was 37.3 degree Celsius, whereas this time it was 40.4 degree Celsius.

The state government is taking precautionary measures on a priority basis. All hospitals have been advised to keep adequate supplies of saline and ice. Repairing of wells and taps are on, and the special relief commissioner has started placing advertising in newspapers, informing the public what to do to combat the heat.

Heat wave conditions also prevailed in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, and the Bihar plateau.

Day temperatures were markedly above normal in Manipur, parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, east Madhya Pradesh, coastal Andhra Pradesh and in the remaining parts of Orissa and Bihar plateau.

They were appreciably above normal in Bihar plains, east Uttar Pradesh and in parts of Assam and Meghalaya, and in the remaining parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. They were above normal in Telangana, Rayalseema and in parts of the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

They were appreciably below normal in parts of Saurashtra and were below normal in Gujarat and Kutch and in parts of east Rajasthan, and were normal over the rest of the country outside Arunchal Pradesh from where the data were sparse.

Night temperatures were appreciably below normal in Tamil Nadu and in parts of Gujarat, and were markedly above normal in parts of Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar.

They were appreciably above normal in Orissa, the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan, northeast Madhya Pradesh and south central Maharashtra and in parts of east Uttar Pradesh and of Haryana.

They were above normal in Kashmir, east Rajasthan, north central Maharashtra, Telangana and coastal and north interior Karnataka. They were normal over the rest of the country outside Arunchal Pradesh and himachal pradesh from where the data were sparse.

Very light rain occurred at isolated places in Assam and Meghalaya. Mainly dry weather prevailed over the rest of the country. Rain or snow is likely at a few places in Jammu and Kashmir and at isolated places in the hills of west Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Rain or thundershowers are likely at a few places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, and at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, coastal Orissa, Bihar plateau, south Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch, south Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka and Kerala.

Mainly dry weather will prevail over the rest of the country.

                        Temperatures (deg C)

                        Max          Min

Agartala                36(+4)        23(+6)
Ahmedabad               32(-2)        14(-3)
Allahabad               36(+4)        18(+2)
Amritsar                23(-3)        12(+2)
Aurangabad              35            18(+2)
Bangalore               33(+1)        19(+1)
Bareilly                33(+4)        17(+3)
Bhopal                  34(+2)        15(-1)
Bhubaneshwar            41(+7)        24(+3)
Bombay                  29(-2)        23(+1)
Calcutta                39(+6)        25(+5)
Chandigarh              27            16(+3)
Dibrugarh               25(-1)        20(+5)
Gadag                   35            22(+2)
Gangtok                 21(+3)        13(+5)
Guwahati                32(+3)        17(+2)
Hyderabad               37(+3)        21(+2)
Imphal                  32(+6)        16(+7)
Indore                  37(+5)        15(+1)
Jabalpur                34(+3)        19(+6)
Jaipur                  30(+1)        16(+2)
Jodhpur                 30(-2)        16
Kanyakumari             31(-1)        24(-1)
Lucknow                 35(+4)        16(+2)
Madras                  36(+4)        21(-1)
Madurai                 36(+2)        19(-3)
Mangalore               35(+2)        25(+2)
Minicoy                 33(+3)        27(+3)
Nagpur                  37(+2)        20(+2)
New Delhi               30(+2)        15(-1)
Panaji                  32            24(+2)
Port Blair              31            20(-2)
Patna                   35(+4)        18(+2)
Pune                    35            16(+2)
Rajkot                  31(-3)        16
Raipur                  38(+5)        22(+3)
Satna                   35(+3)        18(+3)
Shimla                  13            8(+2)
Srinagar                11(-1)        4(+2)
Thiruvananthapuram      34(+2)        23(-1)
Tiruchirapalli          36(+1)        19(-3)
Varanasi                35(+3)        18(+3)
Vishakhapatnam          37(+6)        22