Bhubaneswar: Heavy to extremely heavy rain over last two days triggered by depression has severely disrupted normal life in several parts of Odisha.
According to information, several areas in the state remained submerged under rainwater, while incessant downpour caused extensive damage to roads and other structures in many places.
A report from Sambalpur said rainwater entered several houses, leaving many families stranded in waterlogged conditions. The situation was aggravated as rainwater failed to drain from several parts of the city.
Similarly, incessant rain caused widespread disruption in Kendujhar district, washing away temporary road diversions, damaging under-construction bridges, and snapping road connectivity in several parts of the Telkoi area.
Sources said continuous rain caused flooding across the region. At Hanumantia Nala on the Telkoi-Jagmohanpur PWD road, the centring of an under-construction bridge was washed away. The temporary diversion road at the site was also swept away, leaving Telkoi virtually cut off from surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the depression over north interior Odisha and adjoining south Jharkhand has moved northwestwards and is now centred over south Jharkhand and adjoining north interior Odisha.
The weather system is expected to continue moving northwest over the next 24 hours, bringing widespread rainfall and the possibility of heavy to very heavy showers across parts of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Under the influence of the depression, many districts in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are expected to experience moderate to heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, officials said that widespread and intense spell erased the rainfall deficit that Odisha was facing prior to the arrival of this weather system, bringing much-needed relief to the state’s agricultural sector.
Under the influence of the system, the monsoon remained active and triggered extremely heavy rainfall in nine places of the state. The rainfall activity not only eliminated the rain deficit but also pushed the state into a four per cent surplus, between June 1 to July 5.
The rains significantly enhanced the prospects for kharif season, especially for cultivation of rice, which is the mainstay of Odisha’s agriculture.
