Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Centre (IMD) has sounded very heavy rainfall alert for 14 districts of Odisha in the next 24 hours with low-pressure over the north-west Bay of Bengal intensifing further.
Talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, director of Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, HR Biswas said there would be very heavy rainfall in 14 districts in the south, north and coastal Odisha and trend will continue till the next 48 hours.
The 14 districts which will experience heavy rainfall are Rayagada, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Sonepur and Sambalpur.
He also said that the fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea as the conditions would be very rough during the period.
Under the influence of the low-pressure, there has been heavy rainfall in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts from 2 pm till midnight on Monday.
Meanwhile, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has asked the collectors of these 14 districts to stay alert and take necessary measures to deal with any eventuality.
Besides, the Water Resources department has been asked to keep a strict vigil on the river embankments and remain prepared to take up immediate repair of the weak embankments, where there is a possibility of a breach.
Following heavy rain, a temporary approach road at Kantesi on the National Highway-26 in Kalahandi district was swept away on Monday night. As a result, road communication to Balangir, Bhawanipatna, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Malkangiri has been disrupted. Hundreds of vehicles have been stranded on both sides of the road.
Repair of the approach road was delayed with a lorry stuck in the water. The district administration has engaged a JCB to pull it out.
In Kandhamal district, a temporary bridge was swept away at Sitapadi on Raipur-Gopalpur road on National Highway-59 in Baliguda Block on Monday night, affecting road connectivity to Rayagada and Kalahandi districts from Baliguda.
Till reports last came in, vehicular traffic on this route has been restored after the road was repaired on a war-footing on Tuesday.
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