SAMBALPUR: As mercury continues to soar across Odisha, Sambalpur is battling an intense heatwave with the district recording a temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
In the past week, temperature has been consistently hovering between 40 and 44 degrees C in Sambalpur, prompting the district administration to ramp up measures to prevent heatstroke incidents.
Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dr Sujata Rani Mishra said special wards for sunstroke patients have been set up in different hospitals. “A six-bed unit is now operational at the district headquarters hospital. Similar wards comprising two to four beds have also been set up in primary and community health centres,” she said.
These wards have been equipped with air conditioners/coolers and stocked with ORS packets and IV saline. Nodal officers have been appointed to oversee operations at these wards.
The CDMO further said no confirmed heatstroke cases have been reported in the district so far this year. At least 132 such cases were recorded in Sambalpur by April last year.
However, during the chief minister’s public grievance hearing held at Sambalpur Municipal Corporation office on Monday, 40 people were rushed for medical attention after they showed sunstroke-like symptoms. They recovered after receiving medical care, and officials have classified them as suspected cases of heatstroke, but not confirmed cases, Mishra added.
Meanwhile, the hot weather conditions have significantly impacted normal life in the district. Streets are wearing deserted looks in the afternoons with small vendors, daily wage earners and construction labourers shortening their work hours to avoid peak heat.
A sugarcane juice seller at Golbazar chowk Jitendar Kushwaha said, “I now open my stall before 8 am and close it from 1 pm to 5 pm. Earlier, business was good even in the afternoon, but now it’s too hot and people aren’t coming out.”
Notably, the Health department has urged people to stay indoors during peak hours, stay hydrated and seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms of heat exhaustion.