Heavy rains wreak havoc in southern Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Roads were washed away, power supply was disrupted and several areas were inundated as heavy rains caused by a deep depression wreaked havoc in southern Odisha on Tuesday, officials said.

Among the affected districts were Malkangiri, Koraput, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam, they said.

Schools were shut in Malkangiri, the worst-hit district, Koraput and Ganjam, they added.

The roads connecting Malkangiri to Koraput were washed away at several places, disrupting connectivity between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

About 2,000 people have been moved to safer places so far, they said.

Rivers in the region were in spate, and many bridges over them were submerged. Waterlogging alienated many villages.

ODRAF, NDRF and the Odisha Fire Service have been deployed for rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, officials said.

A deep depression is a more intense stage of a low-pressure system and typically precedes the formation of a cyclonic storm, according to the IMD.

The weather system has weakened into a depression and was centred at 90 km southeast of Jharsuguda, it said.

The system is likely to move across north Chhattisgarh and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area, it said.

Odisha is likely to experience heavy rains till Wednesday though the intensity has declined.