As heavy rain battered Odisha, the IMD on Thursday forecast more heavy to very heavy precipitation with isolated extremely heavy showers in the state.

The low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has intensified and become well-marked and is expected to move across Odisha and Chhattisgarh during the next two days, the IMD said.

It also said that the southwest monsoon has also been vigorous over the state, leading to widespread light to moderate rain with heavy to very heavy showers at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rain in Bolangir and Rayagada in the past 24 hours.

"With intense spells of rain continuing during the next 24 hours, flash floods may occur in interior pockets with likely increase in the water level of rivers in the state," weather scientist Umashankar Das of Regional Meteorology Centre, Bhubaneswar, told reporters, adding that the intensity of rainfall will gradually decline from September 15.

The Met office said that Odisha recorded 49.3 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am and an average of 189.9 mm from September 1 to 14 against the month’s average of 231.9 mm. Bolangir block received the highest rainfall of 215 mm in the state.

Keeping in view the prevailing rainfall situation, the district administration of Bolangir has announced the closure of all schools and Anganwadi centres in the district.

Similarly, the intense rainfall caused havoc in the districts of Malkangiri, Kandhamal and Bolangir. Due to heavy rain in the Malkangiri district, MV-96 bridge along National Highway No 326 at Kalimela has been submerged. Flood water is reportedly flowing up to three to four feet above the bridge, official sources said, adding that communication from Malkangiri to Motu has been snapped.

The intense rainfall has affected normal life in Kandhamal district. The report of bridge collapse and water flowing on roads were also received from Kandhamal district.

The Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office said that reports of house damage have also been received from Koraput and Kandhamal districts. While 40 houses were damaged due to intense rain in Koraput district, at least 63 kutcha houses were destroyed in Kandhamal district, an official said.

Meanwhile, the IMD issued a Red warning of scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) with isolated extremely heavy rain (over 20 cm) likely in six districts of Bolangir, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Bargarh, Nuapada and Sambalpur on Thursday.

Similarly, Orange warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) may occur at a few places in nine districts of Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Angul, and Dhenkanal on Thursday.

The IMD also warned of heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) at one or two places in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Koraput, Nayagarh, Jajpur, and Rayagada till 8.30 am on Friday.

The IMD also issued a yellow warning of heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) at isolated places in Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh on Friday.

Though the state has been experiencing heavy rainfall across Odisha, the state government ruled out any possibility of flood in the state. Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources department, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty said the state government is ready for any situation.

He said though the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi River received an average rainfall of around 37 mm, there has been a decline in rainfall intensity in lower catchment areas. Therefore, there is no possibility of a flood now, Mohanty said.

He said a peak inflow of around 2,00,000 cusecs is expected to enter into the Hirakud reservoir. The authorities have opened 10 gates of Hirakud and the current water level of the reservoir stands at 628.77 ft.

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