ANGUL: As most parts of the State slowly turn into a boiling cauldron, Talcher-Angul industrial belt is headed towards a blistering summer this year as would the sudden spurt in day temperature suggest.
While the day temperature in Angul was 32 degree Celsius on February 21, it shot up to 41 degree Celsius on February 28, breaking a ten-year record. In 2019 and 2020, the temperature in Angul on these two days were 31 and 36 degree Celsius respectively.
Talcher faced the same heat with high day temperatures prompting people to stay indoors after 11 am despite the mercury slightly dipping below 40 in past two days. The Met department has predicted that the hot conditions are likely to worsen in the coming days, making the region one of the hottest in the State. In 2006, Talcher recorded 50 degree Celsius for most parts, throwing normal life out of gear.
Environmentalist Prasanna Behera blamed rapid industrialisation and rampant depletion of green cover without afforestation to facilitate coal mining as a major contributor to this trend. “Massive plantation and preservation of existing forest cover should be undertaken to bring respite from this situation,” he said. Adding to the searing heat are ten operational open cast coal mines that absorb heat during the day and emit it in the night and thousands of trucks engaged in coal transportation and burning by the boilers of three power plants.