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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'Red Alert' for five districts in Odisha: Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack, and Dhenkanal. These areas are expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, ranging from 7 to 20 cm, with some areas possibly seeing even heavier rainfall. An orange warning, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall, has also been issued for twelve other districts including Ganjam, Koraput, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh, Boudh, Sonepur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Sambalpur, Angul, and Nayagarh.
The IMD warns fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea until September 11 due to rough sea conditions. The situation on the ground is severe, with transportation between Malkangiri and Koraput districts completely cut off because a national highway is submerged under floodwater. Hundreds of vehicles carrying essential goods are stranded.
The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has intensified and is expected to cross the Odisha coast near Puri by noon. The system has been moving north-northwest at 10 kmph over the past six hours. As of 11:15 am, it was located 50 km south-southeast of Puri, 140 km east-southeast of Gopalpur, and 90 km south-southwest of Paradip.
Heavy rainfall has led to flash floods in Malkangiri and Koraput districts. In Malkangiri, large areas are submerged, with rainwater flowing over four feet high on National Highway-326. Potteru town is inundated after three days of continuous heavy rain. Many parts of the district are cut off due to waterlogging and submerged roads.
Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja reviewed the situation on Sunday night. He has instructed district collectors to stay alert and evacuate people from low-lying areas if needed. The IMD predicts that the deep depression will maintain its strength until evening before weakening into a depression by midnight on September 9. It is expected to move west-northwest across Chhattisgarh within the next 24 hours.
The weather office forecasts that the system will continue moving northwest across Odisha after crossing near Puri within three hours from noon today. The IMD bulletin suggests that this movement will persist through the evening before gradually weakening.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation. Residents in affected areas are advised to follow official advisories and take necessary precautions. In Koraput district's Digapur panchayat area, 25 villagers were evacuated on Sunday due to flash floods caused by the persistent rainfall. Communication in low-lying areas of Ganjam, Rayagada, and Gajapati districts has also been disrupted due to waterlogging.
In Malkangiri, a landslide near Valve House Chhak has blocked a main road, cutting off communication between Chitrakonda block and neighboring Andhra Pradesh. The state recorded significant rainfall in various regions over the last 24 hours up to 8:30 am on Monday: Nabarangpur received 6 cm; Gopalpur and Cuttack each had 7 cm; Koraput saw 4 cm; while Jajpur and Bhubaneswar each received 3 cm.
