College students and farmers from across Odisha endorsed an open letter appealing to chief minister Naveen Patnaik to acknowledge and act upon the erratic weather conditions in the state to speed up the solution of climate change.

The youth and farmer groups stated that deteriorating climatic conditions are causing the erratic weather events in Odisha with every passing year.

On behalf of the students and farmers, the SwitchOn Foundation, a Bengal -based not-for-profit entity, working in the field of environment conservation, submitted the letter to the chief minister on Monday.

The letter reveals how 314 days of erratic weather events have affected millions of Indians in 2022.

According to the Indian Meteorological report, last year Odisha witnessed 214 days of heavy rain, landslides, and flood, followed by 185 days of lightning and storm, 66 days of heatwaves, 46 days of cold waves, followed by cloudbursts, snowfalls, and cyclones.

“According to a Tata Center of Development report, Odisha is among the states that contributed to 90% of the total heat-related deaths in India. On the 15th of April 2023, 10 cities of Odisha had their mercury level above 32 degrees Celcius. Floods, droughts, and cyclones are regular occurrences in the coastal districts of Odisha. These natural disasters have led to the loss of human lives and caused major damage to household and livelihood assets,” said a press release by SwitchOn Foundation.