Koraput loses its coolness

KORAPUT: The scorching heat has not even spared Koraput, considered one of the coolest places in the State.The tribal-dominated district, noted for  dense forest, hilly terrains and natural beauty, has virtually turned into a boiling cauldron. Jeypore, the district’s biggest business centre, recorded around 42 degree Celsius  on Friday, while the mercury hovered around 40 degree Celsius at the district headquarters town of Koraput.While roads in Jeypore, Koraput, Kotpad and Sunabeda wore a deserted look during the day with most people choosing to remain indoors, high humidity made people suffer in places like Laxmipur, Pottangi, Semiliguda and Nandapur, which are considered ‘cooler’.“For the last few days the heat is unbearable. The humidity persists till 6 pm  thus forcing the denizens to remain indoors. I have never experienced such hot weather at Koraput in the last few years,” said Dibakar Hontal, a Jeypore resident.According to reports, suspected sunstroke-related cases are pouring into hospitals. Officials said hordes of patients suffering from dehydration were admitted in various hospitals in the district.The tribal villages of Boipariguda, Kundra, Laxmipur, Dasmantpur and Pottangi blocks are facing acute shortage of drinking water as most of the natural water bodies have dried up and water-levels in wells and tube-wells have dropped. The sudden heatwave has caught the administration off guard.“Most of the peripheral hospitals lack coolers and ice bag facilities to treat patients. The district administration has made no effort to set up temporary rest sheds and drinking water facilities like ‘jal chatras’ at different points along roads,” said Bhabani Mishra, a Koraput-based activist.Officials at the District Emergency Office, however, said though the soaring temperature in the last few days has impacted normal life, no sunstroke deaths have been reported in the district so far.Additional District Magistrate Pabitra Mandal said the departments concerned had been asked to repair the defunct water bodies across the district and medical staff instructed to remain alert to treat sunstroke cases. “The situation is under control and no sunstroke death has been recorded in the district so far,” he said.