Bhubaneswar: Urging people not to panic over the heavy rainfall triggered by a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said the state government was fully prepared at the grassroots level to tackle any situation arising from the prevailing weather conditions.
After chairing a high-level review meeting, Pujari said the state was likely to receive normal to heavy or extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours from Monday evening, after which the intensity was expected to decline. He said there was no immediate flood threat as water levels in all major rivers, including the Mahanadi, remained well below the danger mark.
The minister said field-level officials had been placed on high alert and instructed to keep pumps ready to drain water from low-lying areas in the event of waterlogging. He added that adequate stocks of tarpaulins had been kept ready for emergency distribution, while arrangements had been made to provide cooked food wherever required. Teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Services have also been kept on standby to respond to any emergency.
As a precautionary measure, schools remained closed in Jagatsinghpur, Subarnapur, Mayurbhanj and Kendrapada districts following the India Meteorological Department’s forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Heavy rain also briefly affected railway operations on the Rayagada-Koraput route after water accumulated on tracks between Tikiri and Rauli stations in Rayagada district. Train services resumed after the water receded, officials said.
According to the IMD, Banki in Cuttack district recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 192 mm during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Monday. Athagarh received 174 mm, while Sonepur and Kendrapara recorded 135 mm and 133 mm of rainfall, respectively.
The IMD has issued a red warning for Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall. An orange warning is in force for 19 districts, while eight others remain under a yellow warning. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast till July 29.
The weather office said the deep depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal was expected to cross the coast between Balasore in Odisha and Canning in West Bengal later on Monday, bringing intense rainfall before gradually weakening.
