Odisha gears up as deep depression to bring heavy rain, red alert in 7 districts
With the deep depression expected to bring heavy rain and gusty winds, the Odisha government has reviewed preparedness, readied shelters and personnel, and issued warnings in coastal and southern parts of the state.
The Odisha government said on Monday that it has deployed personnel and machinery at strategic locations to deal with the impact of a deep depression that is likely to hit the state on the night of September 23.
The India Meteorological Department said the weather system over the Bay of Bengal had intensified into a depression and was likely to become a deep depression in the next 24 hours before crossing the coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur on the night of September 23. The state has also warned fishermen not to venture into the sea till September 24, while red alerts have been issued for parts of southern Odisha between September 23 and 25.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg reviewed the state's preparedness at a meeting attended by senior officials. Collectors of 11 districts joined the meeting virtually, and Garg directed them to keep cyclone and flood shelters ready to accommodate people if required.
"I have visited several cyclone shelters during the day and overseen arrangements there. The people are being made aware of the impending weather conditions," Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan told reporters.
Collectors of coastal districts, including Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Bhadrak and Kendrapara, have been using public address systems to advise fishermen not to venture into the sea until September 24. Those already at sea have been asked to return.
According to the IMD, the well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression. At 5.30 pm, the system was centred about 310 km southeast of Puri.
Asked whether the system could intensify into a cyclonic storm, Garg said the IMD had forecast it to become a deep depression and not a cyclone. "The government has put the required personnel and machines in place to handle extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds in the coastal and southern regions of the state," she said.
"In a nutshell, the weather system will bring a lot of rain and comparatively less wind. Therefore, the state is prepared to handle the situation," she added.
IMD Bhubaneswar centre director Manorama Mohanty said rainfall had started in different parts of the state and was likely to continue until September 25. A red alert has been issued for parts of southern Odisha for September 23-25. Heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rain at isolated places, is likely in Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam on September 23-24.
Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri have also been issued red alerts for September 24-25. The IMD said squally winds with speeds of 55-65 kmph, gusting to 75 kmph, are likely along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts from the morning of September 23 to the evening of September 24.