Bhubaneswar, April 8: The state is reeling from a severe heatwave with mercury hovering above 40 degrees Celsius at several places.

The capital city today recorded a temperature of 41.4 degrees Celsius though Sonepur, which sizzled at 43.2 degrees Celsius, was the hottest place in the state.

Meteorological office sources here said that as many 14 places in the state today reported maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and above. The searing heat had paralysed life in many parts of the state, including Bhubaneswar, which had recorded 43.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the highest for the month in the past six years.

Roads across Bhubaneswar have been wearing a deserted look during the afternoon with hardly anyone venturing out of homes or offices. Few people are, however, seen at the water kiosks set up by voluntary organisations to quench the thirst of pedestrians. The situation in many other cities, especially the ones located in west Odisha, is similar.

In Rourkela and Sambalpur, people have been going to their offices rather early to avoid the sun, while schools are having morning classes following instructions from the government.

The situation in the coastal belt has been aggravated by the high humidity level. While Bhubaneswar reported a maximum humidity percentage of 83 today, it was the same in Gopalpur, a famous tourist place in Ganjam district. The humidity level in Puri was 79 followed by 75 in Balasore.

Director of the Indian Meteorological Department's Bhubaneswar centre S.C. Sahu said heatwave-like conditions were likely to prevail in the state at least for one more week. He attributed the phenomenon to the absence of sea breeze and the hot westerly and north-westerly winds blowing towards Odisha from states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

"Locally there are hardly any clouds. The few that we see in the morning dissipate quickly. Thunder squall activity, too, has been low," said Sahu.

Environment lovers have also blamed large-scale cutting of trees and general disappearance of greenery from various areas for the rise in temperature.

"In Bhubaneswar, even the small water bodies that used to keep the city cool in the past, have vanished because of rampant construction activity," said P. Rajeswar Patra, who takes keen interest in environment. A large number of trees have also been cut down in the city for widening roads and constructing setting up new colonies.