CM reviews flood situation as rain wreaks havoc in south Odisha dists

Bhubaneswar: Torrential rain disrupted normal life and caused flooding in several districts of southern Odisha owing to a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal that is likely to bring more misery to the state.
Malkangiri district was the worst affected with the administration announcing closure of schools and anganwadi centres on Tuesday in the wake of severe flooding in the district.Sources said a portion of Piligada bridge in Malkangiri was washed away snapping road connectivity between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Over 1,000 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas of Malkangiri and Koraput districts, said sources in the special relief commissioner’s (SRC) office.
The IMD predicted more rain and issued a red alert for 10 districts till Tuesday, prompting more preparedness from the state administration. “The deep depression is likely to maintain its intensity till Monday evening and weaken gradually into a depression by midnight. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards across Chhattisgarh during the subsequent 24 hours,” IMD bulletin read.
On Monday, chief minister Mohan Majhi reviewed the flood situation upon his return from a two-day tour of Sambalpur. He spoke to revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari about the severe flooding and waterlogging in Koraput and Malkangiri districts.
The CM discussed precautionary measures taken in the wake of the expected rainfall due to low-pressure system formed over the Bay of Bengal. To address the issue, Majhi directed the collectors of Koraput and Malkangiri, along with the SRC, to take immediate action.
“There is no threat of a major flood in the rivers of Odisha as there is less water in the Mahanadi river basin. Flash floods due to heavy rain may occur at some places. Our major focus is on Malkangiri district, which has been badly affected due to heavy rain. The state is in complete readiness to meet any eventualities,” SRC Deoranjan Kumar Singh said.
In the wake of possible heavy rain in coastal areas over the next 48 hours, Majhi urged collectors of other districts to remain prepared and stay vigilant.