Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government is fully prepared to tackle any situation arising from the low-pressure-induced rainfall over the Bay of Bengal, said Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday.

The state government has issued alerts to all district collectors following forecasts of possible heavy rain triggered by low-pressure systems developing over the Bay. “Based on predictions from various weather models and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), we have taken all precautionary measures to deal with any potential crisis,” the minister said.

Two Back-to-back low pressures 

Pujari informed that two back-to-back low-pressure systems are likely to form over the Bay of Bengal. While a US-based weather agency has predicted the possibility of a cyclone, the IMD has ruled that out, forecasting only rainfall so far. As per IMD’s forecast, the southern districts of Odisha are expected to receive the highest rainfall, for which red alerts have been issued in several areas. The coastal districts remain on orange alert.

“In view of the anticipated heavy precipitation, district administrations have been put on high alert to handle any situation efficiently,” the minister added.

No major impact on Odisha, clarifies IMD

Meanwhile, the IMD’s Bhubaneswar Centre clarified that the ongoing low-pressure system will have no significant impact on Odisha.

According to the latest IMD bulletin, the low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a well-marked low-pressure area at 0830 hrs IST on Tuesday morning. The system is likely to move west-northwestwards and develop into a depression over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, off the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts, by Wednesday afternoon, October 22.

It is then likely to move towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh, potentially intensifying further during subsequent 24 hours

“There will be no direct impact on Odisha. However, thunderstorms with lightning and moderate rain are likely in several districts over the next five days,” said Manorama Mohanty, Director of Bhubaneswar MeT.

As per the weather bulletin, gusty winds (30–40 kmph) with thunderstorms and lightning are likely to occur in Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Cuttack districts today.