IMD warns of heavy rain likely in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Aug 1 (PTI) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday forecast heavy rain likely in Odisha on August 1 and 2.

The IMD has issued yellow warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) for one or two places in Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Boudh, Sonepur, and Sambalpur districts.

It also warned of heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) may also occur at some places of Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balangir, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Kalahandi districts on Thursday.

The local Met office warned of one or two spells of intense rain in some parts of Cuttack city. “It can cause water logging in low-lying areas, occasionally poor visibility and traffic disruption. People are advised to keep a watch on the weather and act accordingly,” it added.

The highest rainfall of 156 mm was recorded at Baripada during the last 24 hours till 8.30 am of Thursday, the weather office said. While Mayurbhanj district recorded very heavy rainfall, districts like Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Puri, Bolangir, Sundergarh and Jajpur have also experienced heavy rainfall.

Noting that there is heavy rainfall in the Bolangir, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Puri districts and possibility of low visibility, submergence of roads/ bridges and inundation of low-lying areas, Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahoo said: “It is instructed to use pumps for dewatering, clearance of the drainage channel and evacuate people of the low lying areas if required.”