Bhubaneswar: Odisha recorded the season’s lowest temperature of 3.1°C at G Udayagiri, a hill station in Kandhamal, on Friday.
Semiliguda in Koraput was close second at 3.6°C, followed by Phulbani and Daringbadi, also in Kandhamal, at 5.5°C and 6.5°C, respectively. The other places, where the mercury plummeted below 10°C, include Chipilima in Bargarh (6.6°C), Rourkela (7.2°C), Jharsuguda (7.1°C), Bhawanipatna (7.5°C), Koraput (8.1°C), Kirei in Sundargarh (8.4°C), Angul (8.6°C), Balangir (9°C), Nabarangpur (9.2°C), Sundargarh and Keonjhar at 9.6°C each.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 12.6°C and 11.8°C, respectively.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold wave conditions prevailed in Angul and Jharsuguda in the last 24 hours. Moderate fog occurred in Phulbani and shallow fog in Bhawanipatna and Rourkela. The night temperature is unlikely to witness any large change during the next 6-7 days, it added.
Intense cold waves over the past two weeks have disrupted normal life across several parts of Odisha, compelling residents to stay indoors from 6 pm to 9 am. The worst affected are the homeless people in remote areas of G. Udaygiri, Daringbadi, Kotagarh, Tumudibandha, Raikia, and Belghar in Kandhamal district, who are forced to keep bonfires burning all night to survive the biting cold. Authorities in Kandhamal have directed Block Development Officers to immediately open more night shelters for the homeless and distribute blankets in high-risk areas.
Meanwhile, serious allegations have surfaced that some night shelters operated by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) are turning away homeless people, with caretakers reportedly allowing entry only in exchange for money.
