North Odisha flood situation grim, IMD forecast more rains till 18 August

The flood situation in north Odisha remained grim on Monday, with nearly five lakh people affected as a depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified the threat of more heavy rainfall across the region.

The state government has stepped up rescue and relief operations, with chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi likely to visit the worst-affected Bhadrak and Jajpur districts later in the day to take stock of the situation on the ground.

More than 2.37 lakh people have so far been evacuated and moved to safety, with nearly 300 relief camps set up along river embankments and in schools, the chief minister’s office said.

With the weather situation deteriorating, the state government has cancelled leave for employees, while schools and other educational institutions remained closed on Monday.

Depression moves towards Jharkhand

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the well-marked low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-north Odisha coast intensified into a depression by 5.30 am on Monday.

The system was located over coastal West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh, around 80 km west-southwest of Satkhira in Bangladesh, 160 km southeast of Bankura in West Bengal and 180 km northeast of Balasore in Odisha.

The depression is expected to move northwestwards towards Jharkhand across Gangetic West Bengal during the next 24 hours.

The weather system has prompted fresh warnings of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across several Odisha districts, raising concerns over further flooding and pressure on embankments.

Red alert for three districts

The IMD has issued a red warning for Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, forecasting very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.

An orange warning has been issued for Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul and Dhenkanal.

A yellow warning for heavy rainfall is in place for Bargarh, Subarnapur, Boudh, Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh.

The IMD has also warned fishermen against venturing into the sea in the North Bay of Bengal and along the coasts of West Bengal, Bangladesh, Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh until August 18. Sea conditions are likely to remain rough under the influence of the depression.

Rescue teams deployed across vulnerable areas

Odisha chief secretary Anu Garg said around 100 rescue teams have been deployed in vulnerable pockets of north Odisha, while senior Water Resources Department engineers have been sent to vulnerable locations to monitor and reinforce embankments.

Three senior officers have also been deputed to Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore to oversee rescue and relief operations.

Garg said the administration was on high alert following the IMD forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall between 16 and 18 August.

“These three days are crucial for the north Odisha districts,” the Chief Secretary said, directing officials to ensure that all possible assistance reaches affected residents.

Several parts of Odisha received heavy to very heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours as the weather system intensified.

Balasore town recorded 93.1 mm of rainfall up to 5.30 am on Monday, according to officials.

With more rain forecast and rivers and drainage systems already under pressure, authorities remain focused on evacuation, embankment protection and preventing further loss of life and property in the flood-hit districts.

With PTI inputs