Heavy Rainfall In Odisha: Govt Alerts Collectors, Declares Closing Of Schools In 10 Districts

Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the heavy rainfall warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Odisha in the next 12 hours, the state government on Thursday asked the Collectors of the concerned districts to remain alert and take necessary measures.

In a letter, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) and Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Pradip Jena has asked the Collectors to keep the administrative machinery fully prepared to meet any possible flood/waterlogging and make advance arrangements to evacuate people from vulnerable locations to safe shelters and provide adequate food, safe drinking water, lighting, health and sanitation facilities at the shelters and relief camps.

He also asked them to direct the District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC) to operate round the clock and update the situation to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) from time to time.

Acting on the directive, the Collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur declared all schools and anganwadi centres to be closed on Friday.

The IMD, in its evening bulletin, said that the well-marked low- pressure area formed over the west-central Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh coast yesterday, now lies over the north coastal Andhra Pradesh adjoining south Odisha and west-central Bay of Bengal, while the associated cyclonic circulation extending towards the south-west direction runs from this system to sub-Himalayan West Bengal across Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal.

Under its influence, the IMD has issued red warning (extremely heavy rainfall) at isolated places over the districts of Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Cuttack, Khurda and Puri, orange warning (heavy to very heavy rainfall) over the districts of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Deogarh and Angul and yellow warning (heavy rainfall) over the districts of Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Boudh, Kandhamal and Gajapati in the next 12 hours on October 25.

Besides, yellow warning has been issued for the districts of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Kendrapada on October 26.

The weather condition will improve from October 26 onwards, the IMD said.