Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today reviewed the low pressure induced rainfall situation in Odisha and asked the officials to take the necessary steps in this regard.

The Chief Minister reviewed the situation through videoconferencing from Jharsuguda. He held discussions with the Collectors of 17 districts, likely to be affected by the heavy rainfall on September 27.

As per the IMD prediction, extremely heavy rainfall is likely to lash Koraput, Malkangiri and Kalahandi on September 27. Similarly, several districts of Odisha including Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Bolangir, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara may witness heavy to very heavy rainfall on Saturday.

The situation is likely to improve after September 28, said the IMD.

The Chief Minister has asked the Collectors to ensure the round-the-clock monitoring by the district-level and block-level control rooms, set up to deal with the rain and flood situation in the state.

He has also asked the officials to make the necessary arrangements to handle emergency situations like flood and inundation in the affected districts. The civic authorities of urban areas have been asked keep the required equipment and manpower ready to handle waterlogging and related issues.

The officials and engineers of the Water Resources department have been told to inspect the vulnerable portions in river embankments, said the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in a statement.

The Fire Brigade and the ODRAF have been put on high alert to face flashfloods and other emergency situations. Similarly, officials have been asked to maintain readiness to handle possible landslides in hilly areas of the state.

Majhi has directed the district administrations to store adequate amount of food and essential commodities, including medicies, for relief work in case of flood and other emergencies.