PURI: To tackle heat related stress among the pilgrims, Fire Services department will install a multipurpose articulated water tower which can cause artificial rain during Rath Yatra starting July 16.
The state government provided the machine to the Puri fire brigade unit which is mainly used to extinguish fire in high-rise hotels and other buildings.
District fire officer Prabhat Kumar Rout said the tower will be used in Rath Yatra to cause artificial rain if the temperature goes up. It has a built-in storage tank of hundreds of gallons of water and could sprinkle water from a great height, pivot 360 degrees and cover a 100-meter radius area.
“It will be of immense help to reduce temperature in the close precincts of the chariots. Earlier, scores of volunteers and fire fighters were engaged to cool down devotees using manual water sprinklers,” said Rout.
Meanwhile, construction work of the three chariots is making steady progress and expected for completion a day before the festival. Hundreds of workers from various disciplines are working to a specified time schedule at the construction site.