File picture of a man who beats the heat with ice

Angul, May, 13: Talcher industrial belt, which has a distinction of being one of the hottest places in the country, has been experiencing the highest temperatures in current summer during the last three days.

The area has been experiencing temperatures of more than 45°C for the last three days. Today, it was 45.1 degree in Talcher. In 2005, the temperature had shot past 50°C, invoking widespread fear amongst local residents.

Talcher has always remained hotter than other parts of the state mainly because of the vast coal mining areas and the existence of thermal power plants. The massive depletion of forest cover due to coal mining and other industries results in high temperatures in the area as compared to places around it. There are seven opencast coal mines where hundreds of acres of coal seams are exposed. The coal stock yards also absorb the sun ray and heat up the area.

Besides mining activities, there are thousands of heavy vehicles plying to transport coal every day thus emitting a huge amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

“The degraded environment and rising temperature are man-made. Each day, an estimated 80,000tonne of coal are burnt by the three thermal power plants owned by Nalco and NTPC in the region,” said Bibhudendra Pratap Das, an environmentalist and president of Brahmani Anchal Surakhya Parishad.

“There has been massive deforestation for the sake of industries and not enough compensatory forestation to make up for the loss of green cover in the area. Both the state and central governments have to be blamed for Talcher being a hotter place,” adds Das.

“The rising temperature at Talcher is not man made as it said to be but a natural and global phenomenon. However, certain things such as coal fire should be brought under control,” Nirmal Mishra, Talcher sub-collector said. He claimed several measures had been taken to combat the menace of extreme heat wave conditions in the area.