Bhubaneswar: Heavy rain continued to batter Odisha for the third consecutive day Wednesday, even as the IMD forecast more downpour till Sunday.
The rain affected normal life across the state, with several areas reporting waterlogging. Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Bolangir are among the most affected districts, officials said.
The IMD on its evening bulletin said that the low-pressure area, which intensified as a “marked system” Wednesday morning, is likely to move across north Odisha and adjoining Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh during the next 24 hours.
It said the low-pressure area has triggered the rains across the state.
Balasore town has been worst hit by the rain with water entering the district headquarters hospital, malls, shops and residential areas.
“Rainwater entered our treasury room and damaged currency notes, valuable documents and computers,” said Umesh Sahoo, assistant superintendent at the Balasore Town main Post Office.
The rainwater also entered the district headquarters hospital (DHH) at Balasore, forcing patients to shift either to their houses or to any other hospitals, a health department official said.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the Centre has already sanctioned a proposal to install a Doppler Radar System in Bhubaneswar, which will help in making accurate weather predictions, providing time for authorities to prepare.
He said such a facility will also be developed in Balasore and Sambalpur.
Engineer-in-Chief of the State Water Resources Department, Chandra Sekhar Padhi, said there was no flood fear in any parts of the state.
He said that though there has been good rainfall across the state, all the rivers were flowing below the danger mark, including Subarnarekha, Jalaka and Baitarani in north Odisha and major rivers in southern districts.
Meanwhile, the IMD on its forecast for Thursday said, “Heavy rain and thunderstorm with lightning accompanied by gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur in the western region of the state.”
PTI
