Dispelling cyclone fears, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal will only intensify into a deep depression, not a cyclone. However, Odisha braces for heavy to very heavy rainfall up to 20 cm and 55–65 kmph gusty winds on September 23–24.
Rainfall begins on September 22 evening, peaking in coastal districts and southern Puri on the 23rd and 24th, before shifting to interior regions by the 25th.
In response, Chief Secretary Anu Garg placed 11 districts on high alert. Round-the-clock control rooms are operational, and dam water levels at Indravati and Telingiri are being lowered. Authorities remain vigilant against potential urban waterlogging and low-lying floods, with pumps and rescue equipment on standby.