More rain in store; high alert sounded

Bhubaneswar: A low pressure area over Bay of Bengal has triggered heavy rainfall in several parts of the state Wednesday amidst forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in more than 24 districts for the next two days.
Most parts of the state were battered for over a month by heavy rainfall due to the formation of a series of low pressure areas in the region.
“The low pressure over northwest Bay of Bengal and its neighborhood persists. The system is likely to be more marked during the next 24 hours,” the meteorological centre here said.
While rain and thundershower is likely at most places of the state, heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur at some areas. Extremely heavy rainfall is on the cards at several places in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Nayagarh for the next 24 hours, it said.
Several places in Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Kalahandi districts are likely to face heavy to very heavy rainfall during the period.
Several places in Sambalpur, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Koraput, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Cuttack and Mayurbhanj districts are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next two days, it said.
Due to continuous low pressure over north Odisha, rainfall has mostly occurred at the northern part Tuesday. While the maximum amount of rainfall (7 cm) was recorded at Chandanpur in Mayurbhanj, 5 cm of rainfall was recorded at places like Tiring and Joshipur in Mayurbhanj, sources at the met office said.
Due to extremely heavy rainfall, floods may occur at Baitarani, Budhabalang and other river systems. Water logging may occur at different parts of the state, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi had said Tuesday. A high alert was sounded for all the districts except Gajapati, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada.
The district collectors were asked to monitor the situation closely. They were also asked to keep the administrative machinery fully prepared to meet any eventuality and to ensure the functioning of control room at all times. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast in the next 48 hours.