Odisha Faces Heavy Rainfall as Deep Depression Approaches: What You Need to Know
Severe Weather Alerts Issued for Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Odisha experienced significant rainfall on Thursday as a deep depression approached the state's coastline near Gopalpur in Ganjam district. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for seven districts, indicating the potential for extremely heavy rainfall, while 16 districts are under an orange alert and the remaining seven are on yellow alert, according to officials.
Since Wednesday, heavy rain has been reported across the state, particularly in coastal and southern areas.
The IMD's latest update indicated that the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal was moving towards the coast at a speed of 18 km/h before noon.
As of 11:30 AM, the system was located approximately 90 km south-southeast of Gopalpur, 140 km east-northeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 140 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 230 km east-northeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and 240 km southwest of Paradip (Odisha).
The IMD forecasts that the system is likely to make landfall near Gopalpur by Thursday evening.
Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, stated that a red alert has been issued for Puri, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal, where isolated areas may see rainfall exceeding 20 cm until 8:30 AM on Friday.
Additionally, 16 districts have been placed under an orange alert, anticipating heavy to very heavy rainfall ranging from 7 cm to 20 cm until Friday morning. These districts include Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, and Kendrapara.
A yellow alert has also been issued for seven districts in the western part of the state, predicting rainfall between 7 cm and 11 cm.
In response to the IMD's warnings, the state government has mobilized personnel and equipment in vulnerable districts to manage the situation, as reported by officials.
Fishermen have been advised to refrain from venturing into the sea along the Odisha coast until October 3.
According to Mohanty, the deep depression is expected to generate squally winds with speeds of 55-65 km/h, gusting up to 75 km/h over the central and adjacent northern Bay of Bengal on October 2, although wind intensity is expected to decrease gradually.
The IMD has recommended raising 'Local Cautionary Signal No-III' (LC-3) at all state ports.
Meanwhile, reports from the revenue department indicate that heavy rainfall has caused landslides in Gajapati district, fallen trees in Ganjam district, and rainwater has submerged a bridge in Koraput district, disrupting traffic on National Highway 326, which connects Odisha with Andhra Pradesh.
In Jagatsinghpur district, at least two individuals sustained injuries when a decorative bamboo gate erected for Durga Puja collapsed. The injured were taken to the Community Health Centre at Balikuda, according to police.
Heavy rain has also impacted road communications between Jagatsinghpur and Machhagaon.