Bhubaneswar | The Odisha government on Tuesday put all districts on alert and directed collectors to remain fully prepared to handle any situation in the wake of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a well-marked system and taking the shape of a depression in the next 24 hours.
In a letter to district collectors, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said there should be foolproof preparations to tackle the ensuing calamity as forecast by the India Meterological Department (IMD).
The government is on high alert, with back-to-back low-pressure systems expected over the Bay of Bengal in October, traditionally a "cyclone month" for the state.
In the last four decades, most of the devastating cyclones have hit the Odisha coast in October, mostly after the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from the state, an official at the revenue department claimed.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said though the IMD was yet to forecast a cyclone, the national weather agency stated that the state will experience heavy rain due to the low pressures.
"We have asked all district collectors to remain alert in view of forecasts of heavy rain due to the low pressure systems over the bay," he said.
Pujari added that while the IMD has forecast rainfall, some international weather models predict a more severe situation, including the possibility of a cyclone. "The IMD’s forecasts are usually accurate, but we are preparing for all eventualities," he said.
The IMD in its latest bulletin said the low pressure area over southwest Bay of Bengal became a well-marked low pressure area and it is likely to move westnorthwestwards and intensify into a depression over southwest and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal off north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts by Wednesday afternoon.
"Thereafter, it is likely to continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts and intensify further during subsequent 24 hours," the IMD said.
According to the IMD forecast, southern districts of Odisha are likely to receive the highest rainfall, the minister said.
Meanwhile, the weather office issued a 'yellow' warning (be aware) for several districts for Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Thunderstorm, accompanied by gusty surface wind with speed reaching 30-40 kmph, is likely to occur at one or two places over Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri till 8.30 am on Wednesday," the IMD added.
For Wednesday, the IMD said thundershowers accompanied with gusty surface wind speed reaching 30 to 40 kmph likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagah, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
