TALCHER: The industrial belt of Talcher recorded the season’s highest temperature of 46.3 degree Celsius on Sunday throwing normal life out of gear.
According to the Met office, the day temperature in Talcher remained above 42 degree Celsius. On Saturday, the temperature crossed 43 degree Celsius, the highest in the State. In nearby Angul, the temperature hovered above 43 degree Celsius on the day. No sunstroke death has been reported from the district.
The heat wave coupled with low voltage and water scarcity has hit people’s lives in the city and the rural areas hard. At the colliery area, water scarcity has emerged as a major cause of concern for the residents. Experts have attributed the abnormal rise in temperature to rampant industrialisation and depletion of forest cover. Around one lakh tonne of coal is burnt by power plants of NTPC and Nalco every day and this contributes significantly to the rise in temperature.
In early 2006, temperature in Talcher had crossed the 50 degree Celsius mark raising concern among climate experts. The State Government had constituted a committee to study the situation and suggest remedial measures. However, nothing was done to improve the situation.