Intense heat wave conditions continued to prevail in the entire State on Monday with Talcher remaining the hottest place for the second consecutive day recording 43.8 degrees Celsius.
The grueling heat wave conditions would continue to sweep many parts of the State till May 5, the local Met office predicted.
Meanwhile, while death of 20 persons was reported due to sunstroke, official sources confirmed two more deaths. Sources in the Special Relief Commissioner’s office said as many as seven cases of the reported deaths were occurred due to other reasons and the rest 11 cases are under enquiry.
According to local Met office, heat wave situation has been experienced in all most all parts of the State due to rise in atmospheric temperature. As many as 13 towns, including Bhubaneswar, recorded temperature between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius. Five of them crossed 42 degrees Celsius, it said.
With temperature soaring, the normal life in the State has been affected with streets looking deserted during noon. There are reports of frequent power cuts and drinking water scarcity from many parts of the State, including the capital city.
The school and colleges continued their classes and examination during the morning hours. According to the weatherman, rain with thunder squalls is likely to occur in some parts of the State during next 48 hours.
According to the reports, While Balangir recorded 42 degrees Celsius, Angul 42.3, Titilagarah 42.5 Bhawanipatna 42.5 degrees and Talcher recorded highest 43.8 degrees Celsius. Similarly, Phulbani recorded 40.2 degrees Celsius, Keonjhargarah 40.3, Sundergarah 40.5, Hirakud 41.2, Chandbali 41.4, Bhubaneswar 41.6, Jharsuguda-41.7 and Sambalpur recorded 41.8 degrees Celsius.