Heavy rain causes landslide, inundates major roads in Odisha districts

The heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Motu area of Malkangiri district boirdering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

At least 10 houses were damaged due to a landslide in Gajapati district while major roads in Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts had been inundated and damaged due to overnight downpour even as the IMD forecast heavy to very rainfall in nine southern Odisha districts in next 48 hours.

Many areas in Odisha were battered by heavy to very heavy rain, leading to waterlogging in many places, the Met office said on Tuesday explaining that this was due to a low pressure system (Lopar) forming on Monday. “We have forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in nine southern districts which could cause further landslide in hilly areas and inundation of roads and agricultural fields. Orange warning has been issued for nine districts,” said Met office scientist U S Dash.

The districts which were issued orange warning for Wednesday were: Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Ganjam and Nayagarh. Similarly, Yellow Warning (Heavy rainfall) are very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Rayagada, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Boudh, Sonepur, Bargarh, Angul, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar.

Light to moderate rain or thundershower is very likely to occur at most places over the districts of Odisha, IMD said in a bulletin.

A report from Gajapati district said that at least 10 houses have been badly affected due to landslide at Nuapali village under Nuagada block of Gajapati district. Though there has been no loss of life as people left their houses immediately after seeing land slide, properties were lost, a district level official said.

The heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in Motu area of Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The road communication between Malkangiri to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has been disrupted as rainwater up to a height of six to eight feel was flowing on the road, an official said. The rain water was also seen flowing over major roads in Kalahandi district.

The Met advised fisher folk not to venture into the sea off Odisha coast’s adjoining areas of west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal till Saturday. Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district received 171.6 mm of rain over the past 24 hours till 8.30 am, followed by 155 mm in Ambadola in Rayagada, the met office said.

Meanwhile, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) in a letter to all district collectors said that the districts under Orange and Yellow warning are to remain in readiness to meet any eventuality particularly on waterlogging and landslides in hilly areas.

The SRC said that the collectors should remain alert on waterlogging in low lying areas and undertake dewatering wherever required both in the urban and rural areas. “Situation may be closely monitored. Advice for fishermen should be strictly implemented and state emergency center to remain open. Report on the damage due to heavy rainfall should be intimated to the government,” the SRC letter mentioned.