Bhubaneswar: At least two persons died due to wall collapse, over 150 houses were damaged and roads submerged, cutting off connectivity in many places, as low-pressure-induced heavy rain lashed Odisha Thursday.
More than 11,000 people have been directly hit by downpours in Koraput, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi, while the rain wreaked havoc in Bolangir, Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada, the special relief commissioner’s (SRC) office said.
During a nine-hour period from 8.30 am on Thursday, Bolangir received 108 mm rainfall, followed by Sonepur (73.4 mm), Titlagarh (55.4), Keonjhar (46.8 mm) and Dhenkanal (44 mm), the IMD said.
More rain is expected on Friday in 21 of the 30 districts of the state as the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has intensified and become well-marked.
It is expected to move across Odisha and Chhattisgarh during the next two days, the IMD said.
The SRC office said two persons died due to wall collapse in Kalahandi district.
The deceased were identified as Rusimani Sahu (49) of Dumermunda village and Binita Parabhoi (29), a resident of Harekrushnapur, under the Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district, an official of the SRC office said.
Another person was injured when a tree fell on him near Pajibahli Chowk in Madanpur Rampur block of Kalahandi.
The injured has been admitted to M Rampur community health centre, a local revenue official said.
A red warning for very to very heavy rainfall was issued for six districts – Bolangir, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Bargarh, Nuapada and Sambalpur – while an orange alert for heavy rain in nine other districts, including Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Boudh and Cuttack, was given in the next 24 hours.
Some other districts will experience light to moderate rainfall during the period, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
During the day, 40 houses were damaged due to rain in Koraput, 14 in Malkangiri, 63 in Kandhamal, and 31 in Kalahandi districts, the official said.
The Bolangir district administration announced the closure of all schools and Anganwadi centres as the Bolangir block received the highest rainfall of 215 mm till 8.30 am of Thursday.
In Malkangiri district, a bridge along the National Highway 326 at Kalimela has been submerged, another official said, adding that connectivity from Malkangiri to Motu has been disrupted.
Normal life was affected in Kandhamal district as the rainwater submerged many roads in Kotgarh and Phiringia blocks which received more than 100 mm precipitation in the last 24 hours.
The southwest monsoon has also been vigorous over the state, leading to very heavy rainfall in Bolangir and Rayagada district in the past 24 hours.
“With intense spells of rain continuing during the next 24 hours, flash floods may occur in interior pockets with the likely increase in the water level of rivers in the state,” Regional Meteorological Centre weather scientist Umashankar Das told reporters.
The intensity of rainfall will gradually decline from September 15, he said.
The Met office said that Odisha recorded 49.3 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am.
Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources department, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty, said that the state government is ready for any situation.
Though the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi river received an average rainfall of around 37 mm, there has been a decline in precipitation intensity in lower areas, he said, adding that there is no possibility of a flood now.
Mohanty also said a peak inflow of around 2,00,000 cusec of water is expected to enter into the Hirakud reservoir.
The authorities have opened 14 gates of Hirakud and the current water level of the reservoir stands at 628.65 ft at 3 PM on Thursday.
PTI