Weather Alert: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. According to the IMD, a ‘deep depression’ is currently located near west-central Chhattisgarh. It is moving westward and could reach Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in the coming days; consequently, heavy rain warnings have been issued for these states. Heavy rainfall is likely on Friday in Vidarbha, northern Telangana, southeastern Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada, central Maharashtra, and adjoining areas. Many people in Assam have already been affected by floods.
A spell of heavy rainfall is likely to commence over central Maharashtra and Gujarat starting Saturday. As this system moves slowly westward, it may weaken into a ‘depression.’ Over the next 12 hours and beyond, it is expected to move in a west-northwest direction, traversing southern Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha while maintaining the intensity of a depression over the next 24 hours. Warnings for extremely heavy rainfall have been issued for Telangana, Marathwada, and central Maharashtra for the next 24 hours.
Heavy Rain Alert for Rajasthan Too
Torrential rain is likely in western Madhya Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, as well as in Karnataka and Kerala. Meanwhile, heavy rain warnings have also been issued for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Sikkim. Alerts for heavy rainfall have also been issued for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. Gujarat could receive over 30 centimeters of rainfall.
Flood Alert in Several Odisha Districts
The administration is preparing for potential floods in Odisha’s Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara districts. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated on Thursday that approximately 9 lakh cusecs of water is flowing at Mundali near Cuttack. This could lead to flooding in areas situated along the banks of the Mahanadi River. Pujari said, “There are reports of floodwaters entering the Athagarh and Badamba areas of Cuttack, and the District Collector has been instructed to evacuate residents and deploy rescue teams.” Dilip Kumar Raut, Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, stated that the next 36 hours would be critical, as the peak floodwater discharge in the Mahanadi River is expected during this period. Raut noted that a flow exceeding 8 lakh cusecs in the Mahanadi river system is classified as a “medium flood.”
Three deaths due to floods
Officials reported that three people have died so far in flood-related incidents. Raut stated that personnel have been deployed to vulnerable areas along the embankments of the Mahanadi and its tributaries in Khurda, Puri, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur districts to ensure their safety. However, he mentioned that the Mundali Barrage has previously handled discharges of 10–12 lakh cusecs. Officials expect the discharge at Mundali to cross 9 lakh cusecs by Thursday evening, likely causing floodwaters to spread across the Mahanadi and its tributaries, including the Luna, Karandia, Chitrotpala, Paika, Salia, Devi, Kandala, Kuakhai, Kushabhadra, Daya, and Bhargavi rivers.
Over 7 lakh people affected by floods
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil has placed the District Collectors of the Mahanadi delta region on high alert and cancelled the leave of government employees in the area. The floods have affected more than 7 lakh people across 20 of Odisha’s 30 districts. Approximately 1.90 lakh people have been evacuated to safer locations and sheltered in 520 relief camps. Twenty-one villages in Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur districts remain cut off, and 1,352 houses have reportedly been damaged.
