Bhubaneswar: Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and light to moderate rain with wind speed reaching 40 kmph may lash Odisha’s twin cities, Bhubaneswar and Kataka, by 3 pm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Friday.
A similar warning was earlier issued for Baragada, Sonpur, Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, Puri Kendrapada, Baleshwar, Bhadrak,khordha, Anugola, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kataka, Dhenkanal and Jajpur districts.
Heavy rains have been lashing many parts of the state since Wednesday amid formation of the first low pressure area of the season. The system, which persists over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Odisha-West Bengal coasts, is likely to become more marked during the next two to three days. Under its influence, parts of the state will continue to experience heavy showers for a week.
Rains In Last 24 Hours
Extremely heavy rainfall was recorded at Ambabhona in Baragaada district with 317 mm in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday. Several other locations also experienced very heavy to heavy r
ainfall, including Balangir (147 mm), Kantamal in Boudh (127.2 mm), Birmaharajpur in Sonpur (117 mm), Bhapur in Nayagada (110.3 mm), and Tarva in Sonpur (110 mm). Multiple places across Sambalpur, Puri, Rayagada, Anugola, and other districts recorded significant rainfall ranging from around 60 mm to over 90 mm, indicating widespread heavy rainfall activity across the state.
Waterlogging & Infra Collapse
The twin cities witnessed severe waterlogging and massive traffic gridlocks amid continuous heavy rainfall over 36 hours. Cuttack recorded 34mm of rain while Bhubaneswar received 8mm on Thursday. The downpour left multiple low-lying areas and major transit routes submerged under knee-deep water for hours, forcing commuters to wade through flooded streets and seek alternative routes.
In Cuttack, a 100-metre section of an under-construction six-lane road connecting Chahata Chhak with Madhu Sudan Setu caved in at Bhuasuni Pathai Gada after the adjacent retaining wall sank late on Wednesday night, exposing poor quality of construction work. The 2.5-km road is being constructed by the Roads & Building division at the cost of about Rs 70 crore. “The administration has taken the incident seriously… If anyone is found guilty of negligence or poor-quality execution, strict action will be taken in accordance with the law,” Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said, promising a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar faced widespread flooding in residential areas, including Sailashree Vihar, Nandan Vihar, Bomikhal, Soubhagya Nagar, Jagamara and parts of Old Town. Several trees also got uprooted owing to strong winds and heavy showers.
To manage the ongoing crisis, both the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have deployed engineering and sanitation field teams to high-risk zones. Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das assured that measures are underway to expedite water drainage.