The Odisha government has deployed personnel and machinery at strategic locations as the state braces for the impact of a deep depression expected to cross the coast on Wednesday night.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Monday reviewed the state’s preparedness at a meeting attended by senior officials. Collectors of 11 districts joined the meeting virtually, with Garg directing them to keep cyclone and flood shelters ready to accommodate people if necessary.
“I have visited several cyclone shelters during the day and overseen arrangements there. The people are being made aware of the impending weather conditions,” Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan told reporters.
Collectors in coastal districts, including Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Bhadrak and Kendrapara, have been using public address systems to advise fishermen not to venture into the sea until 24 September. Fishermen already at sea have been asked to return.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression. At 5.30pm on Monday, the system was centred about 310km south-east of Puri.
The weather system is very likely to intensify into a deep depression over the next 24 hours before crossing the coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur on the night of 23 September, the IMD said.
Asked whether the system could intensify into a cyclonic storm, Garg said the IMD had forecast it to become a deep depression, not a cyclone.
“The government has put the required personnel and machines in place to handle extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds in the coastal and southern regions of the state,” she said.
“In a nutshell, the weather system will bring a lot of rain and comparatively less wind. Therefore, the state is prepared to handle the situation,” she added.
IMD Bhubaneswar centre director Manorama Mohanty said rainfall had begun in several parts of the state and was likely to continue until 25 September.
A red alert has been issued for parts of southern Odisha for 23-25 September. Heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rain at isolated places, is likely in Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam on 23-24 September.
Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri have also been issued red alerts for 24-25 September.
The IMD said squally winds of 55-65kmph, gusting to 75kmph, are likely along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts from the morning of 23 September to the evening of 24 September.
(With inputs from PTI)