Bhubaneswar, Aug 23 (IANS) With several areas of the state still reeling from the impact of floods, Odisha is bracing for heavy rainfall following the formation of a fresh low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a Low-Pressure Area has been formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood on Sunday morning. The weather agency further stated that the system is likely to move nearly northwestwards across North Odisha and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal during the next 24 hours.
The IMD Bhubaneswar has forecast very heavy rainfall across the state for the next couple of days due to the low-pressure area. The agency, in its bulletin on Sunday, issued a red warning, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at one or two places over Kataka, Anugola, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi and Nabarangapur districts till Monday morning.
The IMD has also issued an orange warning, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over the districts of Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghapur, Sambalpur, Debagada, Kendujhar, Mayurbhanj, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kandhamala, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Puri, Khordha and Nayagada districts of Odisha. Additionally, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Baragarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts are likely to experience heavy rainfall till Monday morning.
As per the IMD, sea conditions are very likely to be rough to very rough over the northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal and along and off the West Bengal and adjoining Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts till August 24.
The agency has advised fishermen not to venture into the northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, along and off the West Bengal-Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts, till August 24. It is worth noting that hundreds of villages and lakhs of people across the state have been reeling from the impact of floods for the past several days.
According to the state government, over 13.44 lakh people in 1,703 villages across 505 gram panchayats, 76 blocks and 12 Urban Local Bodies in seven districts—Baleshwar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendujhar, Kendrapada and Sundargada—have been affected by the ongoing flood situation.
–IANS
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