Odisha records highest rainfall in last 63 years; authorities issue flood alert

Bhubaneswar: Heavy rains, triggered by a deep depression, lashed Odisha on Monday, prompting the authorities to issue a flood alert, officials said. Waterlogging was reported from several areas of Bhubaneswar as the state capital recorded 195 mm rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am — the highest in the last 63 years. On September 9, 1958, the city had received 163 mm rainfall, they said. The depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and crossed the coast near Chandbali in Bhadrak district on Monday morning, following which the weather office issued alerts for 13 districts. The system is very likely to continue moving west-northwestwards across north Odisha, north Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh during the next 48 hours, the weather office said. The weather office has issued ‘Red’ warning, predicting heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rains, for Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Sonepur and Bargarh. In the last 24 hours, Puri received 341 mm rainfall, followed by Paradip (219 mm), Gopalpur (64 mm), Chandbali (46 mm), Balasore (24 mm), the weather office said. The Central Water Commission (CWC) issued an alert for several districts as major rivers and their tributaries continued to swell due to the incessant rain. “Brahmani river and its tributaries’ water levels are expected to rise in districts such as Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal and Jajpur. Water levels of river Baitarani are expected to rise in districts Keonjhar and Bhadrak,” the CWC said. The water levels of Mahanadi and its tributaries are likely to rise in Cuttack, Khordha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda and Bolangir, it said. A flood situation is expected in Odisha since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted extremely heavy rains, the CWC alert said. At present, the Jalka river of Subarnarekha basin in Balasore district is flowing above the danger mark, it said. The Office of the Special Relief Commissioner in Bhubaneswar received reports of two persons being killed due to wall collapse following heavy rains in the Kendrapara district. “However, the reports are yet to be officially verified,” an officer said. The weather office has asked all ports to hoist local cautionary signal- III as the sea condition remains rough due to the deep depression.