Bhubaneswar, July 6 (IANS) Amid incessant rainfall across the state over the past few days, the Odisha Water Resources Department on Monday said the Baitarani River is expected to experience a minor flood, potentially affecting residents in the low-lying areas of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts.

Speaking to media persons, a senior official of the Odisha Water Resources Department said that the Baitarani River currently poses the biggest challenge for the department due to the prevailing flood situation.

“Owing to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment, we expect a minor flood in the downstream areas. We are currently releasing around 1,700 cumecs of water from Anandapur, and we expect the river to cross the ger level at Akhuapada (Bhadrak district). However, it will not create any major flooding situation,” the official said.

The official noted that the minor-to-moderate flood is expected to recede to normal levels within the next 24 hours. He also assured that there is no threat of flooding in any of the state’s other major rivers, including the Mahanadi.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bhubaneswar Director Manorama Mohanty on Monday said that the depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal is expected to move in a north-northwestward direction over the next 24 hours, bringing widespread rainfall across Odisha.

Mohanty also said that moderate to heavy rainfall is likely to continue in several parts of the state, with isolated places expected to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall due to the system.

She said districts including Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Debagada, Anugola, Dhenkanal, Bargarh, Sonpur, Boudh, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Koraput are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places.

The IMD has also forecast thunderstorms with lightning and gusty surface winds of 30-40 kmph at isolated places across several districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the north Bay of Bengal and along the Odisha coast for the next two days as sea conditions are expected to remain rough to very rough under the influence of the depression.

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(Written with inputs from IANS)