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Bhubaneswar, Sep 22 : The discovery of natural gas in a deepwater exploratory well in the Mahanadi offshore basin has brought renewed focus on the exploration initiatives undertaken in Odisha during Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure as Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) struck gas on September 18 in the MN-DW18-1-H-D well, located about 43 km off the Konark coast. The discovery is the latest development in years of exploration activity in the Mahanadi Basin, which received renewed attention during Pradhan’s tenure. ONGC Office Opened In Bhubaneswar In 2015 Pradhan, who was then Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, inaugurated ONGC’s Odisha office in Bhubaneswar in May 2015. The move was aimed at strengthening exploration activities in Odisha, particularly in the Mahanadi offshore area. During the same period, the Centre and ONGC stepped up efforts to assess the hydrocarbon potential of the basin through seismic surveys and exploration programmes. The latest discovery has now provided a significant development in that longer exploration journey. Also Read : ONGC Strikes Natural Gas 43 Km Off Odisha Coast In Mahanadi Basin National Seismic Programme Expanded Exploration Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at Utkal University, Kirti Ranjan Mallick, said Pradhan’s tenure saw several initiatives that expanded geological and seismic exploration in Odisha. “The then Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, established the ONGC office in Bhubaneswar in 2015. The National Seismic Programme was also launched during his tenure in 2016, through which geological exploration was expanded and students of geology got opportunities to engage in related work,” Mallick said. The National Seismic Programme was launched by then-Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Taranga area of Odisha's Baleshwar district to generate seismic data and assess previously unappraised sedimentary areas for hydrocarbon exploration. Kakatpur Campaign Added To Exploration Drive The exploration push continued with a major seismic survey campaign at Kakatpur in Puri district. In November 2020, Pradhan, then Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, inaugurated Oil India Limited’s Rs 220-crore seismic survey campaign in the Mahanadi Basin. The campaign covered five blocks and envisaged acquisition of 1,502 line km of 2D seismic data and 1,670 square km of 3D seismic data. The overall exploration programme for the five blocks was estimated at Rs 1,248 crore. The campaign was aimed at generating geological and seismic data to facilitate further exploration and help identify hydrocarbon prospects in the basin. Also Read : Paradip, India’s First Piped-Gas Port Township: Why Dharmendra Pradhan Was the Key Architect Gas Struck 43 Km Off Konark The latest ONGC well, MN-DW18-1-H-D, is the maiden well of the corporation’s current deepwater exploration campaign in the Mahanadi Basin under the government’s Samudra Manthan initiative. The well was drilled to a target depth of 1,623 metres and encountered gas in the 1,441-1,452-metre interval. ONGC said the well is currently flowing gas at encouraging rates with sustained reservoir pressure. However, further appraisal and commercial evaluation are required to determine the size and commercial viability of the discovery. ‘Proud Moment For Odisha’s Geologists’ Mallick described the discovery as a significant moment for Odisha’s geological community. “The discovery is a proud moment for all geologists from Odisha as it puts Odisha on the global map of deepwater natural gas exploration,” he said. The discovery is located close to the Odisha coast, which ONGC said could offer potential for early monetisation, subject to further appraisal and commercial evaluation. ONGC said the discovery could also be explored along with other finds in the area through shared facilities, a framework enabled by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 2025.

Bhubaneswar: Even as the Depression has been centered at approximately 18.2°N, 86.2°E in Westcentral Bay of Bengal, and based on the geographic positioning of the system, it is now estimated at 230 km away to the south-souteast of Odisha's Capital City – Bhubaneswar, the cloud structure, however, suggest peak rain coming to pound the twin cities tonight. Depression Disatnce (at 4:45 PM) Puri ~180 km away to the south-southeast. Gopalpur~180 km away to the east-southeast. Bhubaneswar~230 km away to the south-southeast Why Peak Rain Coming Tonight? The reason behind the peak rain coming has been guided by the following key observations from this Distance Proximity of Outer Bands: Even though the center is 180 to 230 km away, the satellite imagery shows that the outermost convective bands extend up to 500+ km north of the core. This is why dense cloud sheets are already fully locked over Bhubaneswar and Puri Travel Timeline: Moving at a typical depression forward velocity of 12–15 km/h, the system's closest approach to these coastal stations is happening over the next 12 hours before it veers further west toward its landfalling zone. As a consequence, the most important weather development for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack over the next 24 hours is the rain-bearing circulation ahead of Depression's centre . IMD Latest Forecast The system over the west-central Bay of Bengal is moving west-northwestwards and is expected to intensify further while approaching the north Andhra Pradesh–south Odisha coast. IMD's latest available bulletins maintain the expectation of a Deep Depression crossing between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, around KALINGAPATNAM, during the night of September 23 and early hours of September 24 . But as per the cloud structure of the approaching system, for the Odisha capital region, the rainfall clock seems running earlier. The latest IMD warning profile puts Odisha under very heavy rain warning on September 22, extremely heavy rain on September 23 and again on September 24 , with thunderstorm, lightning and squall activity also flagged. That means Bhubaneswar and Cuttack could enter their most disruptive rainfall phase during the late-night and pre-dawn hours of September 22-23 , even though the depression's centre will still be far to the south. Where the system is now – and why the centre is not the rainfall story The depression was located over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, having moved west-northwestwards from its earlier position. IMD's latest marine bulletin describes cyclonic winds of around 20-25 knots, gusting to 30 knots , with widespread rain/thundershowers and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall around the system. The crucial feature is the large asymmetric rainfall envelope around the circulation. A depression does not necessarily produce its maximum rainfall directly around its centre. Strong moisture transport, convergence and vertical wind structure can place major rainbands several hundred kilometres away from the low-level centre. That is particularly important for the twin cities. The rain is arriving first; the centre comes later The system's projected west-northwest movement means its centre remains south of Odisha's central coastal belt for much of September 22-23. Yet the circulation is already modifying the wind field over coastal Odisha. IMD's coastal bulletin has indicated north-easterly to easterly winds of 15-20 knots, gusting to 25 knots, along the north Odisha coast , with rain/thunderstorms at many places and visibility becoming very poor in heavy falls. This is important because the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack corridor sits immediately inland from the coastal moisture supply. The result can be a rainband arriving ahead of the centre , followed by another spell as the broader circulation reorganises. Why Bhubaneswar-Cuttack can get peak rain tonight There are four interacting mechanisms. 1. Moisture is being pulled north-westward from the Bay The depression is acting as a broad moisture pump. Its circulation is drawing humid maritime air towards the Odisha coast. As this air moves inland towards Khordha and Cuttack, it encounters increasing surface friction and the land-based convergence zone. That encourages upward motion. In simple terms: Bay moisture → coastal convergence → rising air → deep clouds → intense rain. This is why the twin cities do not have to wait for the depression's centre to arrive. 2. Wind shear can displace the deepest convection The CIMSS satellite and upper-air diagnostics are particularly useful here. The circulation is not a perfectly symmetrical vortex. Vertical wind shear can tilt the circulation with height, causing the strongest deep convection to become displaced from the low-level centre. That matters because the rainfall maximum can therefore sit in an outer or asymmetric band rather than around the centre itself . For Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, the important signal is not simply where the centre is located on a tracker. It is the orientation and persistence of the convective cloud shield extending north and northwest from the circulation . That is consistent with the mechanism suggested by the CIMSS and Zoom satellite analysis. 3. Outer rainbands can repeatedly cross the same corridor The strongest concern for the twin cities is band repetition . If successive rain cells move along a similar trajectory, the same urban catchments can receive rainfall repeatedly within a few hours. This is effectively a training-type situation. A 15-20 mm rainfall burst is manageable in isolation. Several such bursts falling over already saturated urban surfaces are a different problem. That is why rainfall rate matters more than the eventual 24-hour total for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. 4. Urban drainage starts the night already under pressure The twin cities are particularly sensitive to high-intensity short-duration rainfall because the rainfall runs off rapidly from built-up surfaces. Therefore, if the first heavy spell arrives around midnight, followed by another stronger band between approximately 1 AM and 4 AM, drainage capacity can progressively deteriorate. The second or third burst can consequently produce considerably more visible waterlogging than the first burst even if its rainfall rate is similar. Twin City Peak Rain Timeline The following is a weather-analysis timeline, not an hour-by-hour official IMD forecast . The timing is inferred from the rainfall guidance, current system movement and the expected evolution of the rainbands, as per CIMSS, latest Radar Images of IMD and Zoom Weather. Time, Sept 22-23 Bhubaneswar-Cuttack weather signal Expected rainfall character Likely significance 9 PM–11 PM Rainbands increasingly organised Moderate rain, isolated heavy bursts Ground begins becoming saturated 11 PM–1 AM Peak phase begins Heavy spells, roughly 5-10 mm/hr in active periods Visibility drops; first major waterlogging pockets 1 AM–2 AM Intensification Heavy to very heavy rain Rapid runoff begins 2 AM–3 AM Core peak window Potentially 15-25 mm/hr in strongest cells Highest short-duration urban flooding risk 3 AM–4 AM Peak continues Heavy/very heavy bands Repeated cells may cross the same areas 4 AM–7 AM Persistent moisture-fed rain Around 10-15 mm/hr during active periods Drainage stress likely maximised 7 AM–10 AM Bands become more intermittent Heavy bursts separated by weaker rain Waterlogging can persist despite temporary breaks 10 AM–1 PM Convective restructuring Moderate rain + intense local cells Not a clean weather clearance 1 PM–3 PM Daytime convection possible Localised heavy thunderstorms New cells can regenerate over saturated areas After 3 PM Rainfall remains system-dependent Intermittent moderate/heavy spells Gradual reduction cannot be assumed Most important window: 1 AM–4 AM For the twin cities, this is the period need to be highlighted most strongly. The guidance points to the strongest rainfall rates during this three-hour window , while the latest IMD warning framework confirms that September 23 is an extremely-heavy-rain day for Odisha. Bhubaneswar vs Cuttack: Why Cuttack may remain vulnerable for longer The accumulation guidance places the potential event rainfall broadly around: City Indicative event accumulation Main concern Bhubaneswar 70-110 mm Rapid surface runoff and urban waterlogging Cuttack 80-120 mm Persistent waterlogging and drainage stress These numbers should be treated as scenario estimates rather than an official IMD city-total forecast . Cuttack's geographical setting makes the persistence question particularly important. Once substantial rainfall has accumulated upstream and locally, additional bursts can keep drainage channels under pressure even after the instantaneous rainfall rate begins declining. So the rainfall story is not simply: heavy rain → rain stops → flooding ends. It is more likely to be: heavy rain → extreme burst → temporary lull → another burst → drainage saturation → prolonged waterlogging. IMD radar/satellite signal: what matters tonight The latest official IMD radar confirms a broad area of rain/thunderstorm activity associated with the system and specifically warns of very poor visibility during heavy falls. For the twin-city forecast, the radar/satellite signal to watch through tonight is therefore the northwestward propagation of the strongest convective echoes . If those echoes repeatedly move from the coastal/Bay sector towards Khordha-Cuttack rather than weakening offshore, the peak-rain window will be reinforced. Conversely, if the strongest cells remain offshore or rapidly weaken after crossing the coast, rainfall totals would come down. That is the principal uncertainty in an hourly forecast. What the CIMSS structure adds The CIMSS analysis is useful because it shows the system's three-dimensional structure rather than merely its surface position . The key question is whether the circulation is vertically aligned. If strong shear persists, the upper-level circulation and lower-level centre can become displaced. The consequence is an asymmetric storm with a larger rain shield on one side. That is precisely why a location such as Bhubaneswar – considerably north of the eventual landfall zone – can experience its worst rainfall hours before the centre reaches the coast . This should not be interpreted as the twin cities receiving a direct hit from the depression's centre. It is the outer circulation and moisture-bearing convective bands that matter. Zoom Earth: the visual clue to watch The current satellite/radar presentation on Zoom Earth is useful for tracking whether the cloud shield remains organised as the system moves west-northwest. Zoom Earth combines live satellite imagery with radar and forecast-model layers, including ICON and GFS. The most important visual signal tonight will be whether a continuous or repeatedly regenerating band extends from the depression towards the Odisha coastal plain . As it suggest, if that band keeps regenerating and moving across the same corridor, the 1-4 AM peak scenario becomes stronger. However, if the band fragments rapidly, rainfall becomes more intermittent. And there is an important catch: 11 AM is not necessarily the end The earlier assumption that rainfall would substantially stop after 10-11 AM needs qualification. The meteorological regime can change rather than disappear. After the overnight rainband moves through, daytime heating over an extremely moist boundary layer can help regenerate local thunderstorms . The rainfall may therefore become less uniform but more spatially variable. That produces a different hazard: night = sustained/banded rainfall day = intermittent but locally intense convection IMD's warning framework itself keeps Odisha under extremely heavy rain warning on September 23 and September 24 , rather than indicating a rapid statewide clearance after the morning The bottom weather signal The depression's centre is not the immediate threat to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack tonight –its rain shield is . The current configuration favours the twin cities receiving substantial rainfall well before the system's eventual coastal crossing , because moisture advection, convergence, asymmetric convection and outer rainbands operate hundreds of kilometres away from the low-level centre. For Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, the key timeline is: 11 PM–1 AM: rain intensifies 1 AM–4 AM: highest probability of severe downpour activity 4 AM–7 AM: sustained heavy rain/drainage stress 7 AM–10 AM: intermittent heavy bands After 10 AM: rainfall may become less continuous, but not necessarily end The latest IMD warning of extremely heavy rain for September 23 is the larger signal behind this timing. And because the system is still forecast to cross the north Andhra Pradesh–south Odisha coast only during September 23 night to early September 24 , the twin cities' first major rainfall peak should be understood as an advanced outer-band event . In other words: Bhubaneswar and Cuttack could see their most disruptive rain while the Deep Depression is still offshore and considerably south of them. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE | Deep Depression Track Update: Kalingapatnam Emerging as Landfall Zone; When, Where Will Odisha Feel the First Impact?