Rain affects normal life in Odisha, trains cancelled

Bhubaneswar: The normal life in Odisha has been severely affected as heavy rain continued to lash the state for the last three days and the IMD forecast more rains in the next 48 hours with the low pressure area intensifying into a depression today.

While the state government has put the district collectors on alert in view of the rains, the East Coast Railway asked its employees to remain vigilant to possible flooding of tracks at different places.

The well marked low pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal off north Odisha coast has intensified into a depression, which would trigger heavy rainfall in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin.

IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall tomorrow in one or two places in Baragarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts of Odisha.

Sources in the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) office said that the situation was worse in the districts like Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, Kalahandi and some other districts.

The average rainfall of the state recorded for the last 24 hours is 31.7 mm. Kalahandi district received the highest average rainfall 139.7 mm, SRC B P Sethi said adding that four districts received average rainfall between 50 mm and 100 mm.

Sethi, however, said that all major rivers were flowing below the danger level and there was no fear for flood now. Meanwhile, sources in the ECoR said that the authorities have put the railway men on alert in view of the flooding of tracking. Track patrolling and inspection of bridges were being conducted by senior officers.

Railway tracks affected due to rain water and landslides were located in Titlagarh-Rayagada and Rayagada-Koraput sections. While five trains have been cancelled, four other trains will be controlled in some stations, an official said.