Odisha Braces for Deep Depression as Heavy Rain Shuts Schools

Heavy rain triggered by a depression over the Bay of Bengal swept coastal and southern Odisha on Tuesday, prompting the state government to shut schools, cancel the leave of employees in several districts and position response teams in vulnerable areas.

Administrations in Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati closed schools for the day, while Malkangiri extended the closure till September 24. Anganwadi centres will also remain shut until that date. Teachers and other staff, however, have been asked to report to work, with principals instructed to draw up roster duties so that school buildings stay accessible round the clock and remain ready for any emergency.

The National Rural Talent Scholarship examination went ahead as scheduled at designated centres.

In Koraput and Kalahandi, teachers have been told not to leave their place of posting until September 25. Leave for government employees has been cancelled in Ganjam, Koraput and Kalahandi in view of the weather. Vehicular movement has been restricted on some routes, including the Kalinga Ghat road linking Ganjam and Kandhamal, and ferry services between Satapada and Jahnikuda on Chilika Lake will stay suspended for four days, until September 25.

The India Meteorological Department said the depression lay about 220 km from Gopalpur and 320 km from Visakhapatnam. It is expected to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a deep depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal within 12 hours, before crossing the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur during the night of September 23 and the early hours of September 24.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg said collectors of 11 districts had been placed on high alert, citing forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall over the southern and coastal regions and warnings of severe waterlogging, urban flooding, landslides and mudslides. Cyclone and flood shelters have been kept ready, and personnel placed on standby for extremely heavy rain. Garg ruled out the possibility of a cyclone, saying the system was expected to intensify only into a deep depression.

The IMD's Bhubaneswar centre director, Manorama Mohanty, said rain had begun in different parts of the state and was likely to continue until September 25. A red alert covers parts of southern Odisha from September 23 to 25, with heavy to very heavy rain and extremely heavy falls at isolated places likely in Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam on September 23-24. Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri are under red alert for September 24-25. Squalls with winds gusting up to 75 km per hour are likely along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coast from the morning of September 23 to the evening of September 24.