The Odisha government started to evacuate people from vulnerable and low-lying areas of eight districts in the southern part of the state to safer places on October 27. The precautionary measure has been taken just before Cyclone Montha brewing over the Bay of Bengal makes landfall between Machilipatnam and Kakinada in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on October 28 evening, as predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The storm is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds up to 110 kilometres per hour (kmph) and is expected to bring heavy rainfall across Andhra and south Odisha, the weather agency predicts.
The Odisha government started evacuation of people from vulnerable and low-lying areas of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal and Kalahandi districts, which are likely to be impacted by the impending cyclone, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said.
The government has issued a “red warning” — predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds (gusting up to 80-km per hour) — for these southern Odisha districts, said the minister.
Pujari said though rainfall will begin on October 27 morning, the intensity of rain and wind will likely intensify on October 28 and October 29 under the influence of the cyclone. The weather agency has hoisted Distant Cautionary Signal No-I (DC-1) at all ports of Odisha and advised fishers not to venture out to sea till October 29.
“The state government is well prepared to face any eventuality in the wake of the cyclone and arrangements have been made in the areas that could be possibly impacted,” said Pujari. He has conducted a meeting with district collectors to review preparedness.
Around 1,000 people in Gajapati district and the same number of people in Ganjam district’s coastal bocks have already been shifted to cyclone shelter centres and school buildings. The shifting is going on and is expected to be completed by October 27 evening, sources said.
Besides people, district administrations have also shifted pregnant women with an expected date of delivery in the next one week, to Maa Gruha transit houses and nearby hospitals for smooth medical procedures. In Gajapati and Ganjam, the district administration had shifted over 230 pregnant women till 3 PM on Monday.
Ganjam and Gajapati districts have closed all the schools and anganwadi centers in the districts till October 29. Gajapati district has also closed all its tourist places, including waterfalls from October 26 till further order. “We have closed all tourist places, including eight major waterfalls for the safety of the visitors,” said Gajapati collector Madhumita. District administrations have also cancelled the leaves of employees and asked them to remain at their workplaces till October 30.
Gajapati is one of Odisha’s landslide-prone districts, with as many as 139 identified landslide areas in the district. “We have opened control rooms at the panchayat level and deployed senior officers in the landslide-prone areas to take immediate steps,” said the collector.
The district, on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, witnessed massive landslides in the first week of October. These were caused by heavy rains triggered under the influence of a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. They claimed three lives. Two people are still missing.
The government has deployed five teams of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 24 teams of Odisha disaster rapid action forces (ODRAF) in these districts — three teams in each district. Similarly, 128 teams of fire services have been mobilised to assist in evacuation and rescue operations in southern Odisha districts.
Ganjam collector Keerthi Vasasn V said all fishers who were at sea, have already returned. Others have been advised not to venture out to sea for fishing till normalcy is restored.
Farmers in the coastal districts, especially Ganjam, are very much worried about the impending cyclone. They fear the standing crops, which are ready for harvest, might be damaged due to rains and winds.
“The paddy in the fields is in the harvesting stage. Though the rains will not impact the standing crop much, it will be affected if heavy rains, along with high speed winds, lash it. The crop will be lost if it falls to the ground,” said Niranajan Mohanty, a farmer in Balipada village of Ganjam district said. “I have cultivated long-duration paddy and it is now in the flowering stage. Now, I am waiting to see as to what the effect of the cyclone on the district will be like,” said Sameer Pradhan in Sheragada block’s Takarada village.
“We have suggested to the farmers to harvest the paddy if it is 85 per cent ripe and keep it in a safe place due to the cyclone,” said Ajay Kumar Kar, chief district agriculture officer, Ganjam.
The government has declared that all schools in the eight districts will remain closed from October 28 to October 30.