Heat wave grips Odisha; schools shut in 3 districts till April 21

Bhubaneswar, Amid an intense heat wave sweeping Odisha, the authorities in three western districts on Friday ordered closure of all schools, colleges and educational institutions from April 18 to April 21, officials said.

Separate notifications issued by the administrations of Bolangir, Subarnapur and Kalahandi cited prevailing hot and humid conditions for the decision.

"In view of the prevailing heat wave condition and Red Warning issued for Kalahandi district by the IMD, and keeping in mind the health of students, teachers and staff, all schools and anganwadi centres will remain closed from April 18 to April 21," a notification issued by Kalahandi Collector Sachin Pawar said.


However, supplementary examinations for Classes 5 and 8 will be conducted between 7 am and 9 am, with provisions for light food such as fruits and biscuits for examinees, officials said.

Census-related work will continue with necessary precautions, they said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Titlagarh in Bolangir district recorded the highest temperature in the state at 43.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Bolangir at 42.3 degrees Celsius. At least 10 places across Odisha reported temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above.

The IMD has forecast that heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at isolated places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Kalahandi and Sambalpur districts on Saturday. Warm night conditions are also likely in parts of Sundargarh, Bolangir and Sambalpur.

Hot and humid weather is expected at isolated places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati districts, the IMD said.