Heat grips Steel City, puts dist admin on alert

ROURKELA: The district administration has put in place adequate precautionary measures to deal with intense heat condition that has gripped Rourkela city and rest of Sundargarh for the last several days.
Rourkela has been experiencing extreme hot conditions with the day temperature hovering above 41 degree Celsius for the last 10 days. The Environment Engineering wing of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) reported a maximum temperature of 44 degree C on Saturday. On Friday, Rourkela city reported a day temperature of 43.1 degree C.

The Automatic Weather Station (AWS) of IMD on Sunday recorded the maximum temperature of Sundargarh town at 40 degree C. The Sundargarh district headquarters town, about 100 km from Rourkela, was relatively cooler though.Sundargarh Collector Vineet Bhardwaj said instructions have been issued to ensure adequate availability of drinking water both at dry urban and rural pockets. Defunct tube-wells are being repaired on a war-footing and adequate solar dual pump sets have been installed in rural areas. He said the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital and Rourkela Government Hospital have been fully equipped to treat heat-related ailments. All the 20 Community Health Centres (CHCs) have also set up separate wards to treat patients of heat stroke.

Bhardwaj said the Labour department has also issued instructions to executing agencies not to employ workers between 11 am and 3 pm. Timings of schools and Government offices have been rescheduled to morning. There have been no reports of sun-stroke casualty in the district so far, the Collector said and added that all precautionary measures have been put in place to deal with the situation.

District Emergency Officer Rashmita Tete said control rooms at Sundargarh town and three divisional headquarters are monitoring the heat situation. A host of other line departments have also set up control rooms.Officials have been instructed to report sun-stroke cases within 24 hours and carry out immediate joint inspection by a medical officer and executive magistrate, Tete added.

Sunstroke death

With the temperature shooting up on Sunday, normal life was affected severely in Ganjam district. Pandab Gouda (45) of Bharasa village died reportedly due to sun stroke. Pandab left his house in the afternoon to go to nearby nullah, but did not return. Later, some locals found him unconscious and admitted to Khalikote hospital. The doctors of the hospital declared him brought dead. The body has been sent for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.