Bhubaneswar: Odisha is bracing for intense rainfall over the next few days as a well-marked low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into a depression, prompting the administration to prepare for the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Kalahandi, Koraput, and Malkangiri, warning of over 20 cm of rainfall. An orange warning has been put out for 14 districts, predicting 12–20 cm of rain, while 13 districts are under a yellow alert, with expected rainfall between 7–11 cm. These alerts are valid until 8:30 am on Saturday, according to a senior scientist at the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
Heavy rain has been lashing the coastal and southern regions of the state, including the state capital Bhubaneswar, since this morning.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the low-pressure area, which has intensified into a ‘well-marked system, will develop into a depression over the next 24 hours.
“The system is very likely to cross the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts in the morning of September 27,” the IMD said.
The weather agency said wind speeds reaching 35-45 kmph and gusting to 55 kmph are very likely to prevail over the Bay of Bengal and along and off the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts till the evening of September 26.
Squally wind speeds will reach 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, along the eastern coast from the evening of September 26 till the afternoon of September 27.
As sea conditions would be very rough from the evening of September 26 till the afternoon of September 27, the fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea during the period.
Meanwhile, the Malkangiri district administration, which has already cancelled the leaves of all government employees in the wake of the situation, also announced the closure of all schools and educational institutions.
“There has been continuous rainfall in various parts of the district, leading to a situation that may be difficult for young children to navigate. Therefore, to avoid any untoward situation and keep the safety of the children in mind, all government, aided, and private schools will remain closed,” Malkangiri Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay said in an order.
Similarly, the district administrations of Koraput and Nabarangpur have also cancelled the leaves of all the employees and instructed them to remain stationed at the headquarters in view of the changed weather situation.
Officials of the Water Resources Department said that 5.64 lakh cusecs of water were flowing through the Mundali Barrage near Cuttack at 9 am after release through 20 sluice gates of the Hirakud Dam upstream.
The department put the districts located downstream, particularly in the Mahanadi Delta, on alert and asked the administrations to prepare for a flood-like situation, if it arises.
The tributaries of the Mahanadi River, including Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Daya,and Bhargavi, will witness a rise in water levels, they added.
PTI
