The Odisha government has stepped up rescue and relief operations across southern districts battered by exceptionally heavy rain brought by Cyclone Arnab on October 28. The rainfall may also have been influenced a second cyclonic system to the storm's northeast.
The downpour sent rivers, including the Rushikulya and Mahendratanaya, swelling, triggering floods and landslides that washed away roads and bridges and left villages marooned across seven districts—Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada.
Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal are among the worst-affected districts. Several villages remain cut off by floodwaters, with food and other essential supplies being delivered by helicopter. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patrapur in Ganjam recorded the highest rainfall, at 546 mm, followed by Sorada, also in Ganjam, with 503 mm. G Udayagiri in Kandhamal received 462 mm, Mahendragarh in Gajapati 458 mm, while Sanakhemundi and Chikiti in Ganjam received 388 mm and 309 mm, respectively.
Speaking to journalists on October 30, Suresh Pujari, the state's revenue and disaster-management minister, said water levels in several rivers had risen sharply, with some exceeding their danger marks and posing a serious flood threat.
According to state officials, 299 villages across 22 blocks in Ganjam district and 711 villages across seven blocks in Gajapati had been affected. Around 42,500 people in Ganjam and 20,000 in Gajapati were affected. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Services personnel had evacuated 11,882 people in Ganjam and 17,441 in Gajapati, moving them to flood and cyclone shelters. Strong currents have prevented rescue teams from reaching some of the worst-affected areas.
V Keerthi Vasan, district collector of Ganjam, said on October 30 that the administration was closely monitoring vulnerable areas amid concerns over rising river levels. Many residents had been cut off from the mainland, he said, adding that boats had been arranged to evacuate marooned people, while assistance was being delivered to flood-hit villages.
Meanwhile, the release of water from the Ghodahada dam has also raised fears that crocodiles could be swept into flood-affected settlements. Following torrential rainfall, officials released water into the Ghodahada river at a rate of 350 cubic metres per second, prompting warnings to residents along its banks that crocodiles might accompany the discharge. The river is home to around 100 mugger crocodiles.
Dibya Ranjan Sahu, the Digapahandi forest range officer, said no crocodile-related injuries had been reported so far. The displaced reptiles are expected to return to the river as floodwaters recede, he added.
The IMD classified cyclone Arnab as a “very severe cyclonic storm”. Though it had not confirmed the presence of a second cyclonic system to the northeast of the storm, weather visualisation platforms, including Windy.com and Zoom Earth, appeared to show a persistent low-pressure system alongside the cyclone. Their visualisations also suggested that the two systems may have interacted, potentially strengthening Arnab. The meteorological department has not established whether any such interaction occurred.
Meanwhile, IMD in its October 30 press release states that a Low Pressure Area lay over South Andaman Sea and adjoining Andaman Nicobar Island, which is very likely to concentrate into a “depression” over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Andaman Sea around October 31. It is likely to cause isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh over the next couple of days.