Odisha schools, anganwadis closed till September 24 due to heavy rainfall

Odisha has directed the closure of all government schools and anganwadi centres, cancelled employees' leaves, and deployed teams in vulnerable areas to prepare for a possible calamity due to heavy rainfall in the southern and coastal region.

With the weather department forecasting that the inclement weather would continue, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Gajapati district administrations closed schools for the day, while Malkangiri declared that schools would be closed till September 24.

Also, Anganwadi centres will remain closed till September 24.

Furthermore, the National Rural Talent Scholarship examination, scheduled for September 22, will be held as planned at designated examination centres. Authorities in Koraput and Kalahandi districts have directed teachers not to leave their place of posting until September 25.

Also read West Bengal forms panel to decide fate of 933 schools with no students, may hand buildings to other depts

Odisha schools

However, teachers and other staff would report to schools, with principals instructed to introduce roster duties so that the buildings remain accessible around the clock and are kept ready for any emergency.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the depression over the Bay of Bengal is around 220 km from Odisha's Gopalpur and 320 km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Odisha’s chief secretary Anu Garg stated that collectors in 11 areas have been placed on high alert, following IMD’s forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall across southern and coastal region. The forecast also warned of waterlogging, urban flooding, incidents of landslides, mudslides and other similar incidents.

According to Manorama Mohanty, the director of IMD's Bhubaneswar centre, rainfall has begun across different parts of the state and likely to continue until September 25. Authorities have issued a red alert for southern parts of Odisha for September 23-25.

Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam districts can expect heavy to very heavy rainfall on September 23-24, with isolated pockets seeing extremely heavy downpours. Additionally, a red alert covering September 24-25 has been extended to Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri. With inputs from PTI