New Low-Pressure Area Over Bay of Bengal Raises Rainfall Concerns in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, August 23: Several regions in Odisha are still reeling from the impact of flooding. Meanwhile, a new low-pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal, raising concerns about heavy rainfall in the state.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure system developed in the northwestern Bay of Bengal and surrounding areas on Sunday morning. The IMD further indicated that this system is likely to move northwest towards northern Odisha and the adjacent plains of West Bengal over the next 24 hours.

The IMD’s Bhubaneswar office has forecast very heavy rainfall across the state for the coming days due to this low-pressure area. In a bulletin released on Sunday, the agency issued a red alert, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur districts until Monday morning.

An orange alert has also been issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Sambalpur, Debagarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Puri, Khurda, and Nayagarh districts. Additionally, heavy rainfall is expected in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts by Monday morning.

The IMD has also warned that the sea conditions in the northwestern and adjacent west-central Bay of Bengal, as well as along the coasts of West Bengal, Odisha, and northern Andhra Pradesh, are likely to remain turbulent to very turbulent until August 24.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the northwestern and adjacent west-central Bay of Bengal and along the coasts of West Bengal, Odisha, and northern Andhra Pradesh until August 24. It is noteworthy that hundreds of villages and millions of people across the state have been affected by flooding in recent days.

According to the state government, over 1.34 million people in 1,703 villages across 505 gram panchayats, 76 blocks, and 12 urban local bodies in seven districts—Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Kendrapara, and Sundargarh—are currently impacted by the floods.

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