Bhubaneswar: Heavy to very heavy rain triggered by a deep depression that crossed north Andhra Pradesh coast near Kalingapatnam late Wednesday battered several parts of Odisha for the third consecutive day on Thursday. Most of the damage was reported from southern districts, which saw flooding, landslides, uprooting of trees, houses destroyed and road communication disrupted.Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said around 273 villages under 137 gram panchayats in 37 blocks of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts were affected. Five urban areas covering 20 wards also reported rain-related impact. Precautionary measures saw more than 8,000 people being shifted from vulnerable locations to safer places following heavy rainfall alert.The system crossed the coast between 11 pm on Wednesday and 1 am on Thursday with wind speeds of 55-65 kmph, gusting up to 75 kmph. It lay over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha on Thursday morning and moved north-northwestwards while gradually weakening. IMD said rainfall activity would reduce significantly by Saturday as the system moves towards Chhattisgarh and weakens further.Several areas reported inundation and traffic disruption. Landslides occurred on NH-16 near Khallikote in Ganjam, while waterlogging affected Berhampur. Landslides were also reported in Malkangiri district. Roads were submerged in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. A teacher was reportedly swept away in the backwaters of Kolab reservoir in Koraput. Damage to boats was reported in Chilika, while sea ingress affected coastal areas in Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada.Heavy rain also led to a rise in water levels of several rivers, though officials said they were flowing below the danger mark. Authorities continued to monitor Vamsadhara, Rushikulya and other river systems, besides carrying out field assessments, road clearance, patrols in vulnerable pockets and restoration work. Water levels increased in Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers in north Odisha due to heavy rain in the upper catchment areas of the rivers.Koraput recorded the highest daytime rainfall of 96 mm on Thursday, followed by Malkangiri at 87 mm. In the 24 hours till Thursday morning, Semiliguda in Koraput received 190 mm rain, the highest in the state. Earlier, Chitrakonda recorded 168.8 mm, Tangi 142 mm, Badamba 134 mm, G Udayagiri 125.4 mm and Paralakhemundi 121.4 mm. IMD said 65 places received heavy to very heavy rain in 24 hours, including seven places with very heavy rain.IMD issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rain in Nuapada on Friday and yellow warnings for Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Balangir for Friday and Saturday. Schools in rain-affected Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Gajapati districts will remain closed on Friday as a precautionary measure.“According to the current assessment, no major widespread damage has occurred so far. The overall situation in the affected districts is at present largely under control, and necessary response and restoration measures are continuously underway at the field level. The state govt is working with full commitment to ensure public safety,” said the minister.
