Long back, while travelling in a train, I heard two co-passengers talking to each other in Hindi. One of them seemed to be a businessman returning from an Odisha trip. He said, “Odisha men kya garmi hota hai yaar! Admi fried ho jayega” (How hot it is in Odisha, dear friend. Man will get fried). What he said still reverberates in my mind after so many years.
It is true that we have a hot and humid climate in Odisha. Earlier, in coastal Odisha, we enjoyed a better climate even in peak summer compared to the extreme climate of western Odisha. But today, all the places in Odisha have started experiencing almost the same climate without relief for anybody.
The reasons are not far to seek. Rapid urbanization, deforestation, and global weather patterns have brought about the change, thereby converting milder summers with soothing sea breezes into a hot and humid climate in the coastal areas of the state.
Deforestation is not only man-made, but natural calamities have also caused havoc in the degradation.
Our ancestral village is not far from the city. It is just 15-20 kilometres away. When we were in school, we used to visit it during summer vacation every year. It is not that we were totally safe from the scorching sun in the village. But the shade of trees, blowing of a wind occasionally, and covering our body with wet towels did give us the respite from the concrete jungles of the city.
It has been a little over fifty years since our rural experience. The get-up of the village has now undergone a great deal of change. Concrete buildings have come up. Electricity has been connected to villages. Today, when I visit the village, I find no difference between the two as far as heat and humidity are concerned.
Though the state of Odisha as a whole experiences conditions of heat and humidity, in western Odisha we have been used to an extreme summer, with temperature often crossing the 45-degree mark. The reasons for such an extreme climate are obvious:
- The region is land-locked, thereby missing the cooling effect of the sea, which coastal Odisha fully enjoys.
- Rapid urbanization and deforestation are also the culprit in the matter. Concrete jungles are radiating heat, thereby adding to the rising temperature.
- Districts of the region like Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Bolangir experience continental winds from central and north-western India.
- Humidity in the region is due to vapour from the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and pre-monsoon weather patterns. This causes havoc along with the rising temperature in peak summer.
- Many hills in the area, mostly in and around Titilagarh town, are becoming barren, which radiate heat into the towns. Recently, while travelling to Jharsuguda from Sambalpur, I noticed certain hills becoming devoid of trees, which is a matter of major concern.
- Extensive mining and industrialization add to the heat wave conditions and temperature in western Odisha. Coal mines, thermal power plants, and steel and other industries in the region have really made the climate unbearable in summer.
We have been used to the stigma of having an extreme climate in western Odisha, and the proverbial heat of the town of Titilagarh is known to all and sundry.
During my service in All India Radio, I wanted to make a programme on Titilagarh so as to highlight the heat wave conditions of the town, its causes and remedies, with reference to western Odisha and Odisha.
To make the programme realistic and feel the actual heat, I started recording interviews at 12 PM under the scorching sun with workers, sellers of cold drinks, customers, and residents of the town. They spoke about the extreme heat wave conditions and how they managed to survive with problems of drinking water and electricity.
Then I met government officials who talked about taking remedial steps like preservation of water through check dams and plantation.
On interrogating the environmentalists, they expressed major concern at the rapid degradation of environment and pointed out the barren hills in and around the town as the main cause of heat radiation and rising temperature.
One environmentalist even said that unless and until we are alert, western Odisha will be converted into a desert in future, and symptoms have started showing off since now.
The programme entitled ‘Jatugruha’ (House of Fire) was liked by the listeners. It was a humble attempt to make people aware of the degrading environment.
Heat wave conditions and the continuous rising temperature are not exclusive to western Odisha, Odisha, or India. It is a global concern augmenting the headache of the environmentalists worldwide.
Now the question arises as to how to control or stop the process of global warming, rising temperature, and heat wave conditions.
- Controlling deforestation—Forests all over the world are declining, which is having a bad impact on the environment. The cooling effect of trees and greeneries in maintaining a balanced environment can hardly be ruled out. In India and the world, the percentages of forest cover are 24.5 and 31 respectively, and with this, it is really difficult to maintain the ecological balance. It is, therefore, high time people should control deforestation.
- Planting trees—The way forest cover is declining in size globally, planting trees both by the government and people privately becomes imperative and the need of the hour. It is normally seen that people cut down trees very easily for a purpose but never make it a point to plant trees. To combat climate change, reduce land degradation, and restore bio-diversity in India and globally, many programmes and projects are being undertaken so that more and more trees could be planted. Individuals and organizations should come forward to co-operate with the same.
- Avoiding rapid urbanization—As per a survey, 56.2 percent of people live in urban areas globally, while in India the percentage is 40 percent, though different sources show a figure of a little over 60 percent. Densely populated areas, over-congestion, and concrete buildings radiating heat are obviously adding to heat wave conditions and rising temperature. Though it is really difficult to avoid urbanization, yet a change in people’s mentality in shifting their base to rural areas and creation of infrastructure over there by both the government and privately may save the situation.
- Substituting concrete jungles—Though it is really a difficult task to substitute the concrete jungles, yet proper planning of buildings and using the right materials for construction of buildings so as to avoid radiation of heat may save the situation to a considerable extent. Plantations and creation of water bodies in towns and cities will definitely combat heat wave conditions.
- Staying away from torturing nature—We should stay away from torturing nature in any way. Nature has provided us with the best of elements like trees, air, soil, water, and what not. But in the name of development and our comfort, we are doing harm to them. As a result, nature is reacting to our ill-treatment. It is high time we should behave with nature in a friendly way. We should maintain a balance between development and the environment.
- Preventing pollution—There is pollution everywhere. We are polluting the elements of nature. Trees are being cut down in the name of development. Hills and mountains are being dug to extract minerals. Vehicles and factories are polluting the atmosphere. As a result, pores are being created in the ozone layer, thereby allowing ultraviolet rays of the sun into the atmosphere. Unless and until the process is prevented, heat wave conditions will only accelerate day by day. Taking care of the environment as a whole is the need of the hour.
- Back to the village—The philosophy of Back to the Village can save the situation to a considerable extent. It is seen that people who come to towns and cities in search of jobs never return to the village. They not only add congestion to the urban population but also add to concrete jungles. Development of infrastructures and schemes may attract them and others to the village.
- Creating awareness regarding the Environment—Creation of awareness, particularly in rural areas, is a must to save the degrading environment. Whatever plans and schemes the government may come out with, unless and until people are aware, success will only elude. The rural youth have a pivotal role to play in this regard. They, along with the villagers, should co-operate with the government in protecting the environment and forests. In urban areas, plantation and preservation of water bodies are a must. The government, the educated mass, the youth, and the media should all create awareness in the interest of mankind.
The other day, I overheard a discussion on how the heat wave conditions will destroy mankind one day. Creation will definitely come to an end one day or the other. But the way the environment is being depleted, it will only accelerate the process of destruction. Awareness on our part and timely action may only save the situation.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
Email: airprafulla61@gmail.com
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