BHUBANESWAR: With Odisha emerging the core of the boiling cauldron that India has turned into, recording the highest mercury level in the country, the state government has decided to create dedicated centres for providing shelter and relief to people affected by heatwave conditions.
Announcing the initiative, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday said the centres would function on the lines of existing cyclone and flood shelters, offering temporary rest facilities, drinking water, shaded spaces and other basic amenities.
Pujari said the primary objective was to provide respite to outdoor workers, travellers and commuters during peak afternoon hours. He said the heatwave relief centres would be operational from this year. In the initial phase, the government has decided to set up such shelters in areas where temperatures exceed 40 degree Celsius.
“These centres will be located at key locations so that people can take shelter, rest and resume work once temperature subsides. The initiative will be expanded gradually in heat-prone regions as part of our government’s broader disaster preparedness strategy,” Pujari said.
He stated that the state government has already prohibited outdoor labour between 11 am and 3 pm as a measure to protect workers from extreme heat. The restriction will remain in force from April 1 to June 15.
Movement of goods and passenger operations have been restricted during afternoon hours in severely-affected zones, with provisions for roadside rest-stations equipped with ORS packets and drinking water, the minister said.
Summer vacations have been advanced in schools, Anganwadi centres have been asked to make arrangements for door-to-door ration distribution, he added.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, 11 places in the state recorded temperature of more than 40 degree Celsius with Jharsuguda boiling at 45.3 degree C and followed by Sambalpur at 43.5 deg C, Hirakud 43.4 deg C, Bargarh 42.9 deg C, Nuapada 42.5 deg C, Titlagarh 42.2 deg C, Talcher 42 deg C, Sonepur 41.9 deg C, Bhawanipatna 41.8 deg C, Sundargarh 41.5 deg C and Rourkela 40.7 deg C.
The coastal regions, however, saw a dip with Bhubaneswar recording 34.5 degree Celsius and Cuttack 34.6 deg C. Other towns in coastal Odisha including Balasore, Chhatrapur, Puri and Khurda also recorded less than 40 degree Celsius.
While as many as eight persons have already succumbed to heatstroke this season, the minister said, the government is fully prepared to tackle the situation, combining immediate relief measures with longer-term strategies to safeguard lives.