Odisha heatwave: Two teachers on Census duty die in two days, third case raises alarm over field safety

Two school teachers engaged in Census work died in two days allegedly due to sunstroke in separate incidents in Odisha, officials said on Monday. The incidents occurred in Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts, where the temperature has reached over 37 degrees Celsius. This is the third such incident in the state. A report from Betanati in Mayurbhanj district said that Rajkapur Hembram, a teacher of Baidyanath High School under Betnoti block, died on Sunday evening while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Baripada.

He was taken to the medical facility after he was unconscious on his return from the door-to-door survey for the census, his nephew Laxmikant Hembram said. Mamata Das, the headmistress of the school, said, "Rajkapur Hembram complained of discomfort after returning from census work. He was admitted to the hospital and died. He was assigned three villages for census enumeration". The deceased teacher's family members alleged that he had earlier informed colleagues about pressure from authorities to continue census duties despite his illness.

Another report from Sundargarh district said that Anurag Ekka, a teacher of Jarada Government High School under Gurundia block, also fell ill during the Census duty on Saturday and died on the same day. He was first taken to the Gurundia community health centre and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital after his condition worsened.

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Officials at the Special Relief Commissioner's office here said that the district collectors concerned were looking into the matter, and the exact cause of their deaths will be known after getting reports from district authorities. Earlier, an enumerator engaged in census duty had allegedly died of heart attack after he returned from census duty in Sonepur district, an official letter sent to district collectors said on April 21.

The state govenrment has already issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Census officials working during hot and humid conditions. They are prohibited from getting exposed to sunlight from 11 am to 3 pm due to the rising temperature. They are also advised to get hydrated and keep Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) while going to field work.