'Red' warning for very heavy rainfall in several districts of Odisha: Met office
Monsoon 2020 news: Incessant rainfall triggered by a fresh low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal disrupted normal life in parts of Odisha on Tuesday. The low-pressure area, formed over north Bay of Bengal yesterday, has now become well marked, the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said.
Besides extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha over the next three days, the low pressure system is likely to cause squally weather with high winds up to 55 kilometre per hour along the coast of Odisha, the weather office said. This is the fifth low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal in August.
The Met office has forecast very heavy rainfall in some areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal districts. A 'Red' warning has been issued in these districts till tomorrow. The downpour may cause water-logging and flash floods in some places, authorities said. An 'Orange' warning has been issued for Puri, Khurdha, Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Kalahandi and Kandhamal, according to the weather office.
In Bhubaneswar and neighbouring Cuttack, heavy downpour affected normal life. In view of the weather forecast, the district collectors have been asked to remain alert and closely monitor the situation, Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said. The state government, however, has ruled out any flood threat as of now.
All the major rivers, including Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikuly, Mahanadi and Kathajodi, are flowing below the danger mark and there is no fear of flood at present, said Chief Engineer of Water Resources Department, Jyotirmaya Rath. The danger mark has only been breached in the Jalaka river in Balasore district.