Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday asked the collectors of the coastal districts to remain on high alert with India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a fresh warning of heavy rainfall in the next 12 hours.
In a letter, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena directed the collectors to remain prepared to meet water-logging, flash floods and landslides in hilly areas and keep a close vigil on the low-lying areas, seek the assistance of the Fire Services and ODRAF for search and rescue operations and inform the state government in case of urgent requirements.
The collectors of the coastal districts were also asked not to allow fishermen to venture into the deep sea from Wednesday night till October 24 as squally weather with the surface wing reaching 45-55 kmph with gusting up to 65 kmph will make the sea condition very rough.
In a special bulletin in the afternoon, the IMD said that the well-marked low-pressure area over the west-central Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood is very likely to move northwestwards during the next 24 hours and move in the north-north-east direction. The system will move towards West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts across the north-west Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast during the subsequent 48 hours and concentrate into a depression the next morning and further into a deep depression during the subsequent 24 hours.
Talking to the media in New Delhi later in the day, IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mahapatra said that there will be light rainfall in interior Odisha and heavy downpour in coastal districts as the depression will pass along the coast.
“The system is likely to concentrate into a depression by tomorrow and further into a deep depression during the subsequent 24 hours. Due to heavy rainfall, there is a possibility of water-logging in low-lying areas, landslides in hilly areas and damage to kutcha houses and informal roads. Besides, there will be traffic congestion in urban areas,” he added.
Mahapatra said that under the influence of the depression and the subsequent deep depression, the IMD has issued orange and yellow warnings for the following districts.
October 21
(Orange warning)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Ganjam and Gajapati.
(Yellow warning)
Heavy rainfall at isolated places in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
October 22
(Orange warning)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore.
(Yellow warning)
Heavy rainfall at isolated places in Gajapati, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal.
October 23
(Yellow warning)
Heavy rainfall at isolated places in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur.
