Bhubaneswar: Heavy to very heavy rain may continue in Odisha on Tuesday as a Depression persists over south interior Odisha, about 50 km northnorthwest of Daringabadi, 90 km east of Bhawanipatna and 90 km southeast of Titlagarh.
The system is expected to move west-northwestwards across south Odisha and south Chhattisgarh and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area during the next 12 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed in its midday bulletin.
Forecast For Today
The weather agency has an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/ lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph for one or two places in Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi districts
Heavy rain along with thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may also occur at one or two places in Nuapada, Balangir, Koraput, Bargarh, Keonjhar, Angul and Dhenkanal.
There is also a yellow warning of thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph for one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda,Sambalpur,Deogarh,Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Malkangiri.
While there is no rain warning for August 20, thunderstorm along with lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may occur at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts.
The IMD further stated that squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph
may prevail over west central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal along and off Odisha coast from August 19 to 20.
Heavy Rain To Resume Again
Heavy rain may resume in Odisha on August 21 and continue for the next two days.
On August 21, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may also occur at one or two places in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, and Balasore. Thunderstorm/lightning along with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is also likely at one or two places in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh.
On August 22, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may continue in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts. Thunderstorm/lightning along with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may also occur at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh.
On August 23, the IMD issued a warning for heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm/lightning and gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph at one or two places in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur. Thunderstorm/lightning along with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph may also occur at one or two places in Bargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
Though light to moderate rain may continue in the state, there is no warning thereafter.
Bridges Submerged, Communication Disrupted
Meanwhile, incessant heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has led to severe flooding in Malkangiri district. Dozens of villages, particularly in Malkangiri, Kalimela and Podia blocks, remained waterlogged, while floodwaters entered shops and homes near Malkangiri’s district headquarters hospital.
The district administration had declared a holiday for all government, aided and private schools, as well as anganwadi centres on Monday.
Major sections of National Highway-326 went under water with floodwaters flowing at a height of over three feet over low-lying bridges at Potteru, MV-96, and Kangrukonda, halting interstate communication between Malkangiri and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana.
Floodwaters are also flowing at three feet above Jhapra bridge in the district following heavy rain in the upper catchment area of Sabari river, leading to disruption of communication between Malkangiri and Chhattisgarh’s Sukma.
The boundary wall of Malkangiri airport was damaged, with a 15-meter section collapsing due to the heavy rains.
Water levels in the Satiguda reservoir also reached 188.65 metre against its full capacity of 192.63 meters, while the Balimela dam at Chitrakonda recorded 1,468.40 feet against its full level of 1,516 feet.
In neighbouring Nabarangpur district, heavy rain since Sunday evening also prompted the administration to shut schools and anganwadi centres.
In Gajapati district, a big tree fell on National Highway 326, which connects to Chinturu Road in Andhra Pradesh, near Mandimera village in Mohana block.Vehicles remained stuck on both sides of the road till the Fire Services team reached the spot and cleared the tree.