Govt on alert as IMD predicts very heavy rainfall today
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Thursday took stock of preparations as the IMD’s latest forecast said heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was likely to occur in the coastal pockets on Friday.
The forecast came as light to moderate rainfall continued in the coastal, southern and adjoining interior pockets of the state on Thursday. There was also heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places, dampening the Dussehra mood.
There will be more rain as Tuesday’s low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has turned into a depression. The system, lying over the Bay about 180 km from Paradip, is likely to move northeastwards and cross the coast as a deep depression between Sagar Islands in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Friday afternoon, said a bulletin issued by IMD.
H R Biswas, director of the regional IMD centre, said the coastal pockets would experience heavy to very heavy rainfall till Friday under the influence of the system. He said they had issued red warning of extremely heavy rainfall for four districts — Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore. Besides orange warning of very heavy rainfall has been issued for Puri and yellow warning of heavy rainfall for five more districts — Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj.
Biswas said there were chances of waterlogging in low-lying areas, damage to vulnerable structures, traffic disruption, damage to standing and horticulture crops due to heavy rainfall. He said the intensity of rainfall would decrease on Saturday. With squally wind speed reaching up to 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely to prevail along and off the Odisha coast, fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea till Saturday.
Special relief commissioner P K Jena said the district administrations were ready to face any situation. Jena said he reviewed the developments with the collectors. He added that there was no possibility of flash flood. But, he said, waterlogging in low-lying areas cannot be ruled out and administrations were advised to take prompt steps to tackle the situation.
The district administrations in the coastal pockets geared up to tackle a flood-like situation in their areas, said an official.
The rainfall report of the past 24 hours, recorded on Thursday morning, said Paradip had seen the highest rain of 71 mm. Chandbali recorded 33 mm rainfall. Bhubaneswar recorded 3.2 mm rainfall during the period.
For Friday, there will be heavy to extremely heavy rain in select districts. The overall forecast said light to moderate rain or thundershower was very likely to occur in many places in north, coastal and in a few places over south-coastal Odisha.
The IMD director said the condition was favourable for the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from western Odisha in the next three-four days.