Heavy rain in Odisha, over 8,000 evacuated; govt rushes help to contain situation

Heavy rain battered parts of Odisha on Thursday under the influence of a deep depression that made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, prompting the state government to evacuate people from low-lying and landslide-prone areas, officials said.

With fears of floods and landslides in southern districts, the government sent senior ministers and officers to affected areas to oversee relief and response measures.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said six districts — Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur — had been affected by the rain. He said 8,082 people had been evacuated by Thursday noon and the process was continuing.

Referring to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's direction to ensure "zero casualty", Pujari said, "We have evacuated 8,082 people by Thursday noon, and the process is continuing. The district collectors have been asked to shift people from vulnerable waterlogging areas."

Amid reports of rising water and waterlogging, the government deputed ministers Rabi Narayan Naik to Koraput and Gokulananda Mallik to Gajapati. Later, two more ministers — Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and Nityananda Gond — were asked to visit Ganjam and Nabarangpur.

Jena was scheduled to reach Ganjam on Thursday evening, while Gond was to leave for Nabarangpur on Friday after attending Question Hour in the Assembly, Pujari said. He added that four senior officers had also been sent to the affected districts to monitor relief work and assess damage.

Pujari said the situation was under control, though there had been reports of uprooted trees, landslides, waterlogging, road blockades and rainwater flowing over roads.

He said there had been no reports of injuries or deaths. He also said the ruling BJP had asked party MLAs from vulnerable constituencies to visit their areas and assist the local administration.

The India Meteorological Department warned that rainfall intensity would rise as the system was likely to enter Odisha near Koraput in the evening, and said heavy rain would continue for the next two days.

It said a deep depression is a weather system more intense than a depression but weaker than a cyclonic storm. An average of 70 mm of rain was recorded across the state in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday, with Semiliguda in Koraput district recording the highest rainfall at 193.9 mm. At least 17 places in the state received more than 100 mm of rain.

The IMD issued a red alert for Nabarangpur, asking authorities to "take action", and forecast more than 20 cm of rainfall there. It also placed Bargarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput and Malkangiri under orange alert for 12-20 cm of rain, and issued a yellow alert for Balasore, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kandhamal and Rayagada for 7-11 cm of rain.

The Water Resources Department said night patrolling and field-level vigilance had been intensified at key locations across the state because of the heavy rainfall.

It said engineering officers and field staff were closely monitoring critical water infrastructure, while water levels in the Jalaka and Budhabalang rivers in Balasore district were rising.

The IMD also warned of squally weather along coastal areas, with winds gusting up to 70 kmph, and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till Friday morning.

In Malkangiri, 4-5 feet of rainwater was flowing over four low-level bridges — Poteru, Kangurukonda, Kanyashram and MV-90 — on National Highway 326, stopping traffic on the Malkangiri-Motu highway.

Communication to Kalimela, Motu and Padia blocks was cut off, and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the bridges, officials said. They added that the bridge on the Malkangiri-Chhattisgarh road was also submerged.

Water levels in the Balimela, Satiguda and Jalaput reservoirs rose, while the Balimela-Chitrakonda ghat road was closed because of heavy flow in the upper nala and the risk of landslides.

Koraput, too, received heavy rain over the last 24 hours, though officials said there were no reports of deaths, injuries or major traffic disruption.

Roadside trees were uprooted in several places in Borigumma, Narayanpatna and Pottangi, with fire personnel and ODRAF teams clearing the roads.

Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said, "Presently, the situation is under control and officials have been kept on high alert to prevent any untoward incident. Traffic movement has not been affected in any part of the district." Minister Rabi Narayan Naik also held a meeting with district officials and reviewed the situation.

With heavy rain continuing in several districts, the Odisha government has stepped up evacuations, deployed ministers and officers to vulnerable areas, and kept emergency teams on alert, while officials said there had been no casualties so far.