Bhubaneswar: As a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal is all set to concentrate into a depression, Odisha which is already soaked in the rain for two days is likely to be lashed by more downpour threatening to throw life out of gear in seven districts of the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Sunday.
The IMD issued Red warning (heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall) for seven districts, normal life is already affected by downpours in some of them.
In the wake of the warning, the state government has asked the district administrations to be prepared for the eventuality.
The low-pressure area formed Saturday over the central and adjoining North Bay of Bengal now lies as a well-marked low-pressure area over the north-west and adjoining west-central part of the sea, with associated cyclonic circulation, the IMD said.
“The system is most likely to move northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over the north-west Bay of Bengal off north Odisha and West Bengal coasts during the next 24 hours and then move west-north-west across north Odisha and north Chhattisgarh during subsequent 2-3 days,” it said.
Under its influence, there will be heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall across the state for three days till September 14.
The IMD issued Red warning for Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Dhenkanal and Nayagarh districts, Orange warning (isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall) for six districts and Yellow Warning (isolated heavy rainfall) for eight districts.
The IMD cautioned that the districts for which Red warning was issued may encounter flash flood/waterlogging, inundation in low lying areas, damage to informal/kutcha roads, wall collapses and occasional reduction of visibility causing traffic congestion in urban areas.
The IMD suggested the state government keep arrangements for drainage of excess water and avoid movement in affected areas in the seven districts.
Orange Warning is issued for the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Boudh, Angul, Jajpur, and Bhadrak while the districts of Kalahandi, Bolangir, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Balasore get Yellow Warning.
The IMD advised fishermen not to venture into sea along and off the Odisha coast, north and west-central Bay of Bengal from September 12 to 14 and those in the deep sea areas are advised to return to the coast by Sunday night as the squally weather with wind speed reaching 45-55 kilometres per hour gusting 65 kmph will make the sea condition very rough.
In another bulletin, the IMD said light to moderate rain/thundershower has occurred at most places over Odisha particularly districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Nawarangpur, Angul, Rayagada, Sundergarh and Kalahandi.
Meanwhile, Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena in a letter to district collectors asked them to remain prepared for the eventuality in wake of the IMD warning.
He said block development officers, tehsildars and other field staff should keep vigil in low-lying areas, arrange for dewatering wherever required and ensure that control rooms function round the clock.
PTI
