Bhubaneswar: As Odisha continues to reel under hot and humid weather conditions, the state government confirmed the first heatwave-related death and sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs. 50,000 for the deceased’s family, a top official said.
The victim is a middle-aged person from Balasore district, a senior official at the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) office said on Sunday, adding that the state has so far received allegations of 20 deaths due to heat waves.
With heatwave conditions prevailing in various districts, SRC Satyabrata Sahoo reviewed the situation on Saturday based on the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast. The Met Office, in its forecast, said hot weather conditions are likely to continue in some districts for the next three days.
While the state’s coastal belt has been encountering high humidity conditions, there was a rise in daytime temperatures in the western region. The capital city of Bhubaneshwar had a temperature of 33.2 degrees Celsius and an overall humidity level of 76 percent by 8:30 a.m., IMD said. Jharsuguda logged the highest maximum of 37.4 degrees, followed by 36.4 in Sambalpur at 8:30 am on Sunday.
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