Heat wave grips India; Odisha sizzles at 48.5 deg C - 130 dead in 2 states

April 24, 2016

New Delhi, Apr 24: As the heat wave have gripped the entire nation, death toll in Odisha and Telangana are shooting up with the mercury level with each passing day.

The death toll in Odisha on Saturday reached 79, while at least 49 people died in Telangana due to the scorching heatstroke.

According to a news agency, 48.5 degree Celsius temperature was recorded in Odisha's Titlagarh on Saturday. While temperature in eight districts of Odisha crossed 45 degree Celsius.

In Telangana, temperature has been hovering above 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of the state since last fortnight prompting the government to issue a heat wave alert in all districts.

According to a bulletin issued by India Meteorological Department (IMD) today, heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at a few places in Telangana today and tomorrow.

Telangana government has also launched a web portal for heat wave predictions and necessary resources available at respective places in case of emergency.

The IMD has warned of severe heat wave conditions that are likely to prevail over isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Nalgonda of Telangana.

Meanwhile, the state governments of Odisha and Telangana today announced Rs 50,000 as ex-gratia to the kin of those who died due to sun stroke.

Last month, in its first ever summer forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that temperatures between April and June were going to be warmer than usual. It had also said that above normal heat wave conditions would be seen in central and northwest India.

That prediction has come true with an intensity that has turned much of the country into an inferno. In the hottest April on record, the mercury has already gone past the 47 degree Celsius mark in Odisha’s Titlagarh.

The worst-hit have been Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh along with parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over isolated places in several districts of Telangana for the next four days, according to the IMD.

It seems that people of West Bengal aslo can't find an escape route from the heat wave either. The Met department predicted severe heatwave like conditions to prevail for few days.

Two persons died in Birbhum and Howrah, reportedly due to heat stroke.

Bankura recorded a maximum of 45 degrees Celsius while Krishnagar sizzled at 44. Sriniketan, Burdwan Behrampur and Malda crossed the 40 degree Celsius mark. Kolkata recorded 39 degree Celsius.

Delhi is predicted get hotter with the temperature rising from 37 degree Celsius on Saturday to 44 degrees Celsius on April 30. The minimum temperature is predicted to stay around 24 degrees for the rest of April.

In Haryana, Hisar recorded a high of 40 degrees Celsius, while Ambala 38.1 degree Celsius. Chandigarh was relatively cooler at 37.5 degree Celsius after a drizzle.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 35.3 degree Celsius, while Ludhiana and Patiala recorded a maximum temperature of 38 degree Celsius.

Uttar Pradesh too continued to swelter with dry weather. The highest maximum temperature in the state was 44 degree Celsius recorded at Allahabad.

In Maharasthra, Bramhapuri town in Chandrapur district recorded a highest temperature of 46 degrees Celsius.

Chandrapur recorded a high of 45 degrees Celsius, Nagpur 44.8 degrees Celsius and Wardha 44.2 degrees Celsius.

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Average age of school children picking up drugs, smoking habit in 10 Indian cities around 13 years!

News Network

December 13,2025

New Delhi: School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said.

The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school.

The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS's National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regions.

The survey included 5,920 students from classes 8, 9, 11 and 12 in urban government, private and rural schools across 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. The data were collected between May 2018 and June 2019.

The average age of initiation for any substance was 12.9 (2.8) years. It was lowest for inhalants (11.3 years) followed by heroin (12.3 years) and opioid pharmaceuticals (without prescription; 12.5 years).

Overall, 15.1 per cent of participants reported lifetime use, 10.3 per cent reported past year use, and 7.2 per cent reported use in the past month of any substance, the study found.

The most common substances used in the past year, after tobacco (4 per cent) and alcohol (3.8 per cent), were opioids (2.8 per cent), followed by cannabis (2 per cent) and inhalants (1.9 per cent). Use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users (90.2 per cent).

On being asked, 'Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age' separately for each substance category, nearly half the students (46.3 per cent) endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students (36.5 per cent) agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products.

Similarly, for Bhang (21.9 per cent), ganja/charas (16.1 per cent), inhalants (15.2 per cent), sedatives (13.7 per cent), opium and heroin (10 per cent each), the students endorsed that these can be easily procured.

About 95 per cent of the children, irrespective of their grade, agreed with the statement that 'drug use is harmful'.

The rates of substance use (any) among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance use (ever), use in the past year and use in the past 30 days. Compared to grade VIII students, grade IX students were more likely, and grade XI/XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance (ever).

The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI/XII students as compared to grade VIII students.

About 40 per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each. The use of cannabis (any product) and opioid (any product) by a family member was reported by 8.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent of students, respectively, while the use of other substances, such as inhalants/sedatives by family was 2-3 per cent, the study found.

A relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members, while a higher percentage reported inhalants, sedatives, cannabis or opioid use among peers.

Children using substances (past year) compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance use by their family members and peers.

There were 25.7 per cent students who replied 'yes' to the question 'conflicts/fights often occur in your family'. Most students also replied affirmatively to 'family members are aware of how their time is being spent' and 'damily members are aware of with whom they spend their time'.

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