The Odisha government is planning to airlift 120 people stranded in flood-hit areas of Ganjam district due to heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Arnab, officials said on Thursday.
Cyclone Arnab weakened into a depression on Thursday and lay centred close to south Odisha triggering heavy rainfall in the districts of Gajapati and Ganjam, causing landslides, road damage, river swelling and inundation of low-lying areas.
Patrapur in Ganjam recorded the state’s highest rainfall of 546mm in the 24 hours ending at 8:30am on Thursday, according to data released by the special relief commissioner’s office. Officials said it was the highest single day rainfall at a single place in Odisha in the last 35 years. Sorada, in Ganjam district, received 503.8mm, while G Udayagiri in Kandhamal recorded 462.4 mm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies rainfall of 64.5-115.4 mm in 24 hours as heavy, 115.5-204.4 mm as very heavy and 204.5 mm or more as extremely heavy.
IMD officials said the state’s highest recorded 24-hour rainfall was 825mm at Thuamul Rampur in Kalahandi district on July 28, 1991. Sambalpur recorded 581.9 mm on August 19, 1982, while Pottangi in Koraput district received 546mm on October 14, 1931. Earlier reporting noted: The weather system was centred about 60 km south of Malkangiri district headquarters and was moving northwards at a speed of 15 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Earlier reporting noted: In Gajapati district, continuous rainfall for more than 36 hours disrupted transportation in hilly areas, with landslides and uprooted trees reported at several places.
Union home minister Amit Shah has assured Odisha and other affected states of all possible assistance to deal with the impact of the cyclone.
It is likely to weaken further into a depression over the next few hours and, by evening, into a well-marked low-pressure area, it said. Earlier reporting noted: Cyclone Arnab weakens to deep depression; triggers rains in south Odisha districts As Cyclone Arnab weakened into a deep depression on Thursday, the remnant weather system continued to trigger torrential rainfall across southern Odisha districts of Gajapati and Ganjam, causing landslides, road damage, river swelling, and inundation of low-lying areas.
