Low pressure over Bay of Bengal may trigger heavy rainfall in Odisha: IMD

Bhubaneswar, Jul 26 (PTI) A low-pressure area, the third in a month, over north Bay of Bengal and adjacent coastal areas of Bangladesh and Gangetic West Bengal is likely to trigger heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha over the next four days, weather officials said on Friday.

Under its impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in isolated areas in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Bargarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Bolangir, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, and Malkangiri districts before 8:30 am on Saturday, IMD’s Bhubaneswar regional centre director Manorama Mohanty said.

Additionally, heavy rainfall is expected in parts of Kandhamal, Cuttack, Sonepur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Koraput, and Nayagarh districts, he added.

He said these conditions are likely to continue across many districts until July 31. Given the anticipated rough conditions, the weather office has advised fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea along and off the Odisha coast until July 27.

In response to the IMD's prediction, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu has put collectors in 13 districts on high alert as flood-like conditions may arise in northern Odisha.

The districts under alert are Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, and Angul.

Sahu has instructed collectors to review district-level preparedness and take necessary measures to address any emergencies.

He has also directed the Kandhamal collector to monitor the situation closely, as some roads and bridges in the district are experiencing overtopping due to rainfall. PTI