Schools and colleges in three northern Odisha districts will remain closed on Monday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for extremely heavy rain of 20cm, as more than five lakh people are still grappling with flood due to incessant rains.
Educational institutions in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Baleshwar districts will remain closed on Monday following forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall. The Baleshwar district administration said the closure applied to both government and private schools and colleges.
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall across Odisha from August 16 to 18, with rain expected to intensify on Monday before easing on Tuesday.
The weather system is linked to a fresh low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas, which is expected to move northwestwards and become more marked over the next 24 hours.
It also forecast squally weather, with winds of 40-60kmph, over parts of the Bay of Bengal and along the Odisha coast through August 18.
On Sunday, Odisha received 953mm of rain between June 1 and August 16, 27% above normal.
Flooding has affected 49 blocks, five urban areas and 331 gram panchayats, with about 5.15 lakh people affected and 2.37 lakh evacuated, Garg said. The government has opened 293 relief camps and cancelled leave for officials, directing them to remain in the field.
In Jajpur, floodwaters from the Baitarani and Brahmani inundated large areas, marooning residents and damaging crops. The Baitarani was flowing above danger levels at several locations, including Akhuapada, Ballavighat and Dasarathpur. The Dasarathpur, Bari and Rasulpur blocks were among the worst affected, with floodwaters entering homes and damaging paddy and vegetable crops.
In Bari, rising Brahmani waters caused another section of an embankment at Banksahi to collapse, while villages including Chandanpur and Arual were inundated.
School inundated
Meanwhile, students at Kulasahi residential school in Kendrapara district were stranded after the Brahmani overflowed. Rescue teams were mobilised to evacuate them as rising water affected nearby low-lying areas.
Portion of NH-53 collapsed
In another incident in Kendrapara, a newly constructed section of National Highway 53, collapsed at Nilanchal Bazar near Marshaghai amid continuous heavy rain, causing three heavy trucks to lose balance and overturn. The 77-km highway corridor connects Chandikhole with Paradip Port and is an important commercial route.
