Cold wave sweeps parts of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Anintense cold wave swept several parts of Odisha as the State recorded the season’s lowest temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius at G Udayagiri, a hill station in Kandhamal district, the IMD said on Friday. The chill has severely affected normal life as minimum temperature remained below 10 degrees Celsius in at least 15 places in 11 of the 30 districts, an official said.

Semiliguda, another hill station in Koraput, came a close second at 3.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Phulbani and Daringbadi, both in Kandhamal district, recording 5.5 degrees Celsius and 6.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Other places where the mercury plummeted below 10 degrees Celsius include Chipilima (6.6), Rourkela (7.2), Jharsuguda (7.1), Bhawanipatna (7.5), Koraput (8.1), Kirei in Sundargarh (8.4), Angul (8.6), Bolangir (9), Nabarangpur (9.2), Sundargarh and Keonjhar at 9.6 degrees Celsius each. The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 12.6 degrees Celsius and 11.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The India Meteorological Centre (IMD) said there will be no major change in night temperature across the State for the next 6-7 days and forecast shallow to moderate fog in Sundargarh, Kandhamal and Kalahandi in the coming days.

A report from Kandhamal said a thin layer of ice was seen on tree leaves, and fish were found dead in water bodies due to the intense cold conditions. Vegetable and banana cultivation have also suffered damage. Persistent cold waves over the past two weeks have forced residents to remain indoors from 6 pm to 9 am.

Homeless people in interior pockets of G Udayagiri, Daringbadi, Kotagarh, Tumudibandha, Raikia, and Belghar have been the worst affected, keeping fires burning throughout the night to cope with the severe cold. Kandhamal district authorities have urged Block Development Officers to set up additional night shelters for the homeless and ensure the distribution of blankets in vulnerable areas. Dense fog has severely impacted morning visibility, dropping between 50 and 200 metres in areas like Phulbani.

Districts which recorded below 10 degrees Celsius on Thursday were Kandhamal, Koraput, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Angul Jharsuguda and Keonjhar.