Bhubaneswar: With the depression over Bay of Bengal (BoB) intensifying into a deep depression, several areas of Gajapati district were battered by heavy rains on Monday, prompting the administration to shift the people in the hilly areas to safer places.
As rainfall is expected to lash Odisha for some more days, the state government issued a fresh advisory asking officials to be ready to deal with any water logging and landslide in vulnerable areas.
More than 500 people of 4 blocks in Gajapati district have been shifted to relief camps after the overnight downpour. The Collector has asked block officials to keep an eye on the situation.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena also advised all the district officials to remain alert to deal with any exigency, particularly water-logging in low-lying areas and landslides in hilly regions.
Under the influence of the deep depression, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at some places of Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Puri and Khurda districts till Tuesday.
Sea condition is expected to be unfavourable along and off Odisha coast, which is why fishermen have been asked not to venture into sea till Tuesday. The Met Centre further forecast squally weather conditions with wind speed up to 45- 55 kmph and gusting up to 65 kmph in south Odisha.
Since August, nine low-pressure systems have been formed over the Bay of Bengal and another is likely to take shape over north Andaman and Nicobar Islands around October 14, the MeT Centre has predicted.
This morning around 7 am, the deep depression crossed north Andhra Pradesh coast close to Kakinada.
Depression Over BoB: Rainfall Alert Issued In Several Odisha Districts