Odisha braces for a rain-laden Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesh Puja) this year, as incessant rains continue to lash northern swathes of the state, with more predicted for the remaining districts in the coming days.
A new low-pressure area has formed under the influence of cyclonic activity in the northwest Bay of Bengal, Odisha's MeT office said on Tuesday.
In that regard, the Regional MeT centre has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in Odisha till August 29. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall is set to cover the entire state from August 27-29.
Gusty surface winds of 30-40km/h have been predicted, in addition to isolated heavy rainfall in most districts.
While most of Odisha's districts have been issued a yellow alert, Malkangiri and Koraput have received red alerts for August 27, with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted. Nawarangpur, Kalahandi, Rayagada, and Gajapati have been issued orange alerts for August 27.
Malkangiri is the only district with an orange alert issued for August 28.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the northern regions of the Bay of Bengal (off Odisha's coast), owing to rough sea conditions.
Although the Kalahandi district saw the highest rainfall of 75 per cent over the last 24 hours, 5 other districts recorded normal rainfall.
Yet, as many as 100 villages in the Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts face a flood-like situation due to incessant rains.
On Sunday, water levels rose alarmingly in the upper catchment of the Subarnarekha river, as well as in the Baitarani river at Akhuapada in Bhadrak.