Odisha Braces for Deep Depression's Aftermath

Odisha's state government is preparing for relief operations as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has made landfall near Puri, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds. Emergency teams are deployed in affected districts for rescue and relief, with evacuations already underway.

With the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal making landfall near Odisha's Puri, the state government on Monday geared up for relief and rescue operations in the districts likely to be affected by the weather system.

A deep depression is a more intense stage of a low-pressure system and typically precedes the formation of a cyclonic storm, the IMD said.

''The landfall process for any system, whether a depression or a cyclone, takes time. The current system made landfall between 10.30 am and 11.30 am with wind speeds between 55 km/hour and 65 km/hour,'' said Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar.

It is very likely to move further northwestwards across interior Odisha, maintaining its intensity of deep depression till evening, and weaken gradually into a depression by midnight of Monday, the IMD said in a bulletin.

The weather office has issued a 'red alert' (take action) of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) till 8.30 am of Tuesday for 10 districts – Ganajam, Kadhamal, Nayagarh, Khurda, Bolangir, Boudh, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nawarangpur and Puri.

Heavy rain has also been forecast at isolated places in the districts of Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Sonepur during the period.

Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea until September 11, it said.

Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja held a review meeting and asked senior officials to immediately visit Malkangiri, which received 253 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am of Monday, to supervise and assist the district administration in relief measures.

Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D K Singh has already deployed 18 teams of ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Boudh and Bolangir. The state government has also kept 12 other teams on standby in Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh and Boudh.

Fire Service and NDRF personnel have also been deployed in the rain-affected districts, officials said.

"So far, 560 people have been evacuated (56 in Koraput and 504 in Maklangiri) from the low-lying areas and sheltered in six relief camps," an official said, adding that 150 houses have been damaged.

(With inputs from agencies.)