Argus News | Odisha News Today

Bhubaneswar, Oct 29 : Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Thursday said arrangements were being made to airlift around 120 people stranded by floodwaters at four locations in Ganjam district as heavy rainfall linked to Cyclone Arnab continued to affect the state. Around 2,000 people are stranded in waterlogged areas, and the administration is coordinating with the Coast Guard to evacuate those requiring urgent assistance by helicopter, Garg said at a press conference. “Things will get better with a gradual decrease in rainfall,” the Chief Secretary said, expressing hope that the situation would improve as precipitation subsides. Ganjam has been among the worst-affected districts, with 22 blocks and 299 villages impacted by heavy rain, affecting around 44,500 people, according to figures shared at the press conference. Patrapur block in Ganjam recorded 546 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, while Mohana block in Gajapati district received 307 mm. G Udayagiri block in Kandhamal district

Bhubaneswar, Oct 29 : A low-pressure area had formed over the south Andaman Sea and adjoining areas and is likely to intensify into a well-marked low-pressure area over the same region within the next 24 hours, Manorama Mohanty, Director of the India Meteorological Department's Regional Centre in Bhubaneswar, said on Thursday. Meanwhile, the remnants of Cyclone Arnab have weakened from a deep depression into a depression centred near southern Odisha and adjoining southern Chhattisgarh, she said. The IMD has issued a red alert for Sundaragada and Baragada districts for the next 24 hours, warning of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places as the remnants of Cyclone Arnab continue to influence weather conditions over southern Odisha. Orange alert for five An orange alert has been issued for Kendujhar, Debagada, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Mayurbhanj districts. A yellow alert is in place for Ganjam, Gajapati, Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Anugola, Boudh, Subarnapur, Nuapada, Balangir, Jajpur, Puri