Amid scorching heat, power cuts, drinking water crisis compound woes in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Scorching heat, frequent power cuts and acute shortage of drinking water are compounding the woes of Odisha people.

The grueling summer heat has virtually turned the state into a boiling cauldron with the temperature soaring above 40 degrees Celsius in as many as 15 places in Odisha today with Titlagarh recording 45.8 degrees Celsius.

Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur and Bhawanipatna are the worst affected followed by Angul and Talcher.

According to residents of Sonepur, it is hard to come of out of homes after 8AM as the temperature has reached around 45 degrees Celsius.

Though the temperature in coastal areas of the state is around 40 degrees, high humidity is adding to the woes.

Undeclared power cuts have compounded the summer suffering. Residents of Nabarangpur staged protest against unscheduled power cuts today. On the other hand, more than ten thousand residents of Olanga and Daisingh panchayats in Bhadrak district are now staring at acute drinking water crisis, as most of tube wells are lying defunct.

Though water tanks have been installed in theses gram panchayats, the pipelines are yet to be connected to the houses.

“The water tank was installed, but the villages are yet to receive a single drop of water,” said Shankarshan Jena, a resident of Olanga village.

On being asked, the concerned executive engineer, Ramakrushna Mishra said, “I joined here recently and came to know about the problems only a short while back. However, I have discussed with the junior engineer and problem will be resolved soon.”

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that the South-West monsoon has arrived in Andaman and it will head towards Kerala before its onset in Odisha in the second week of June.

"South-West monsoon have touched Andaman, North Andaman Sea and the adjoining Bay of Bengal. Within three-four days it will cover the whole Andaman sea," informed Sudarshan Mishra, weather expert at Bhubaneswar Regional Meteorological Centre.

Monsoon is likely to arrive in Odisha in the second-third week of June, Mishra added.