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Landslide disrupts NH-520 in Odisha; IMD issues orange alerts in 6 districts
Keonjhar superintendent of police Nitin Kushalkar urged commuters travelling between Barbil and Rajamunda to exercise caution
Heavy rain triggered by low pressure in the Bay of Bengal led to a landslide on Sunday night that partially blocked a national highway in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. Incessant rainfall also inundated homes, submerged roads, and disrupted transport in the southern districts of Nabarangpur and Malkangiri, officials said.
The landslide occurred at Barabanka Ghat on National Highway-520 under Rugudi police station limits after soil and debris slid down a hill, blocking nearly half of one side of the road. Traffic was restricted to a single lane, while police and officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were deployed at the site to manage movement and clear debris.
Keonjhar superintendent of police Nitin Kushalkar urged commuters travelling between Barbil and Rajamunda to exercise caution, noting that one side of the highway remained blocked.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for six districts on Monday and forecast heavy rain until August 29. IMD officials said another low-pressure area could form over the Bay of Bengal between August 31 and September 1, potentially triggering another spell of intense rainfall.
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In Nabarangpur district, heavy rain over the past two days inundated villages and urban areas, damaging mud houses and forcing water into residential colonies and shops.
About two feet of water flowed through key stretches of Nabarangpur town, disrupting traffic, while floodwaters flowing over the Bangiri bridge under Nandahandi block cut off road links between the district headquarters and three gram panchayats. The Bharatmala road near Papadahandi was also submerged.
In Indravati Colony, flood water damaged household belongings and led to drinking water shortages. Temporary bridges were also submerged, severing road links between Nabarangpur town and the Umerkote-Raighar, Jharigam, and Chandahandi blocks.
“The administration is taking precautionary measures in all affected areas. Since rainfall intensity is decreasing, the situation is expected to normalise by evening,” Nabarangpur Collector Maheswar Swain said on Monday.
In Malkangiri district, low-lying areas were inundated after the district recorded 315.8mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Waterlogging outside schools and along sections of the national highway in Malkangiri town disrupted daily life as drains overflowed. Officials said further rainfall could submerge low-level bridges and roads in remote areas such as Poteru, Kangurakonda, MV-37, and Korukonda.
Till Monday, Odisha received 1078mm of rainfall, 29 % excess of what it normally receives in monsoon.
