Heavy Rain Lashes Odisha: Holiday Declared For Schools In Puri; Waterlogging In Konark Sun Temple

Bhubaneswar, Sept 26: Intense spells of rain have lashed several parts of Odisha, including the Capital City, Puri, Konark, Balasore among others.

Owing to incessant rain as well as more rainfall warning, the Puri district administration declared Thursday a holiday for all schools. All schools will remain closed for the day, announced the Puri District Collector.

The development came after IMD warned of moderate to intense rainfall due to the change in weather conditions owing to the withdrawal of the monsoon.

Water Logging At Konark Sun Temple

Tourists had a terrible time Thursday at the Sun Temple in Konark as heavy rainfall triggered a massive waterlogging at the iconic spot.

The visitors were seen walking through water, reaching up to their knees, as the entrance of the Konark Sun Temple was completely submerged due to the downpour.

A few tourists have reportedly sustained injuries after falling accidentally while walking and the reason being the waterlogging.

Notably, this is not the first time when the heritage site is seen in such a horrible state of situation. The issue has been reported multiple times in previous years but nothing has been done to avoid such scenario.

Landslide in Balasore

Balasore has also been hit hard by heavy rain as a landslide on Kamarda-Baliapal Main Road resulting a collapse. Due to soil erosion, the part of the road collapsed about 20 feet.

As a result, people are facing problems due to the disruption in usual traffic flow. The works department, on the other hand, has taken the matter on priority and has already started to repair works of the road on emergency basis.

IMD Report & Predictions

Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted moderate to intense spells of rain in several parts of Odisha Thursday.

According to the bulletin from the department, several parts of Odisha are likely to experience rainfall due to a change in weather conditions owing to the withdrawal of the monsoon.

The weather department has issued orange warnings to some parts of the districts of Khordha, Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Angul.

“Moderate thunderstorm accompanied with squall wind speed reaching (30-40kmph), Lightning and intense spell rain likely to affect these districts within next three hours,” reads the IMD bulletin.

“Under its impact, minor damage to loose/unsecured structures, water logging in low lying areas, minor damage to banana trees. Damage to standing crops may occur,” the IMD bulletin added.