Malkangiri, Dec, 27: The entire Malkangiri district is shivering under an intense cold wave. To protect themselves from the severe cold, people in villages as well as towns are lighting fires using firewood and bamboo and sitting around them to keep warm. For the past three days, cold conditions along with dense fog have prevailed across the district. From early morning, Malkangiri town appears almost deserted due to the biting cold outside, which numbs hands and feet.
Villagers and small children can be seen lighting fires with logs of wood and sitting around them to warm themselves. Generally, during this time of the year, the temperature in Malkangiri district remains between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius, and people usually do not wear shawls, blankets, or jackets during the daytime. However, as the early morning temperature has dropped to around 12 degrees Celsius, the situation has become serious. People are now seen wearing jackets throughout the day, covering themselves with shawls, and continuing with their daily work.
Due to the cold, shops and markets are opening only after 8 a.m. this year. Although winter has already set in, poor tribal communities lack warm clothing. To protect themselves from the cold, they are lighting large fires in front of their huts and sitting around them to warm their bodies. At night, entire families are even seen sleeping around these fires. For the poor, burning firewood has become a substitute for blankets.
There is a growing demand for the district administration to provide winter clothing to the poor. In the Malkangiri district headquarters and subdivision areas, poor tribal women and children are seen every morning and evening sitting around fires lit in front of their houses to keep warm.
Although Malkangiri is known as a hot district, a cold wave has been felt over the past few days. As a result, traders have set up stalls selling winter clothing at various places. In particular, traders have arrived in Malkangiri with truckloads of winter garments from distant places like Uttar Pradesh and Raipur, and have started selling jackets, shawls, blankets, sweaters, mufflers, caps, and other winter wear.