Depression-induced rain lashes most parts of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Rain lashed most parts of Odisha on Saturday even as the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression, the IMD said.

Of the 30 districts of Odisha, 26 districts have experienced rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday. The highest of 108.4 mm rainfall was recorded at Ranpur in Nayagarh district followed by Begunia (84), Pipili, Jatani, Khura and Naugon (75 mm each).

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rain in some places in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts during the day.

Heavy rain lashed the districts of Puri, Khurdha, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Angul, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, and Jharsuguda since Saturday morning.

The IMD said rainfall is likely to decrease from Saturday due to a gradual change in the weather.

The depression over the Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh coast moved east-northeastwards with the speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred about 430 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 480 km east-northeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 590 km south- of Gopalpur (Odisha), the IMD said at 12.30 pm.

The MeT office advised fishermen to stay cautious as the sea conditions will likely to be turbulent. Rough to very rough seas are likely across the west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal during this period and along the Andhra Pradesh-north Tamil Nadu and south Odisha coasts.

The director of Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, Manorama Mohanty said the wind direction has changed to south-easterly and the winds are carrying a lot of moisture as a result of which there was rainfall activities. "While light to moderate rainfall is expected in interior Odisha, there could be heavy downpour in the coastal belt," Mohanty said.

With reports of depression-induced rainfall damaging standing paddy crop, Odisha's Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta said the state government will provide compensation if the paddy gets affected because of rain continuing since Friday.

He said arrangements have been made for covering the crops at Mandis.

Revenue department sources said that Khurda district recorded 75 mm of rainfall and Jagatsinghpur district 61.2 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday.