ROURKELA: The Steel City turned into a virtual cauldron as mercury hit 45.4 degree Celsius on Monday. As the weather turned hot and itchy, citizens were forced to take cover from the blazing sun.
While burning sensation prevailed throughout the day, there was no respite even after sundown as hot winds made life uncomfortable. Amid prevailing heat wave condition, the city streets wore a deserted look during the afternoon. Only a handful of commuters could be seen on the roads and those venturing out covered themselves with protective gears.
On the day, the Environment Engineering department of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) reported the maximum temperature at 45.4 degree C and minimum at 29.1 degree C. The maximum atmospheric humidity was 54 per cent.In fact, blistering heat wave condition continues to sweep across the city and its neighbourhood with mercury consistently hovering above 42 degree C. Similar hot condition had prevailed on Sunday when maximum temperature was at 44 degree C. On earlier occasions, though the city had witnessed 44 degree C or slightly above in the month of April, occasional rains had brought relief.
Meanwhile, the Sundargarh district administration has put in place all precautionary measures to tackle heat wave conditions and advised people to avoid going out without protective measures.According to the District Emergency Office, control rooms have been set up at Sundargarh town and three sub-divisional headquarters. This apart, various line departments are also operating control rooms and the situation is being monitored.