The Bhubaneswar Regional Office of India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded yellow warning forecasting heavy rain in several parts of the State as the cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal inches closer to the Odisha coast.

Meanwhile, under the impact of cyclonic circulation, rain has begun to lash in several parts of the State including in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpurr, Khurda, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Bolangir and Sonepur.

IMD has sounded a yellow warning in these districts forecasting heavy rain in the next 24 hours.

It may be recalled here that Mahanadi basin had recorded a massive 27.6 mm rainfall last Wednesday, which was 341 per cent more than the normal. The heavy downpour had left many places including the capital city Bhubaneswar city under watery inundation and had left at least nine people dead.

The cyclonic circulation over the northwest and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal has moved towards the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of north Odisha, West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts. The system is most likely to move in the west-north-west direction and lay centred near the north Odisha coast within a few hours and then concentrate into a low-pressure area, the IMD stated in the latest weather bulletin.

The low pressure will not be as severe as the previous one reported in the last week as it will not concentrate into a depression and pass through north Odisha and Sundargarh as low pressure towards Chhattisgarh, said IMD officials.

Meanwhile, the Hirakud reservoir authorities on Sunday shut eight more sluice gates as the rain in the upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh lessened. Currently, the accumulated floodwater at the multi-purpose reservoir was being released from four gates only.

There is no fear of a major flood in the state, including in Mahanadi and Subarnarekha rivers as the water level has receded substantially, flowing below the danger level, said the Special Relief Commissioner’s office.