Bhubaneswar: With rain continuing to hammer many parts of the state, the government Tuesday asked District Collectors to be on alert and meet possible flood like situation.
“Barring a few places, heavy rainfall occurred in all parts of the state over past 24 hours. There was no flood like situation in any place till Monday. However, the possibility of flood cannot be ruled out in some places as rain continues,” revenue and disaster management minister Maheswar Mohanty told media here Tuesday.
The state government is closely monitoring the situation and is well prepared to face any possible flood-like situation, he said. Stating that District Collectors have been asked to remain alert, Mohanty said, “If there is flood, adequate steps will be taken to provide assistance to affected people.”
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishupada Sethi said there is least possibility of a major flood this time as heavy rains have stopped as the low pressure has weakened. All major rivers were flowing below the danger mark, he said.
According to official sources, average rainfall in the state recorded Tuesday was 28.9 mm. Two districts that received an average rainfall of more than 50 mm were Jharsuguda (100.1 mm) and Jajpur (74.8 mm).Four districts received surplus rainfall of more than 19 per cent whereas 17 districts received normal rainfall. Other districts that received substantial rain are Cuttack, Deogarh, Bhadrak, Puri, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri and Sambalpur.
With this, the average rainfall for July (up to July 17) accounts for a surplus of 18.1 per cent. Similarly, the average rainfall in the state from June 1 to July 17 stands at 5.4 per cent of the long-term average rainfall, the source said.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the intensity of rainfall will come down from Wednesday in all parts of the state. However, the rainfall will increase after three to four days as another low pressure is likely to be formed over the Bay of Bengal.